Wonderwomen
by Ultimate Queen of Cliffies
Summary: "Come with me. Think of what we can do, together!" Glinda hesitated only a moment before jumping on the broom with Elphaba. "Alright, go!" What if Glinda went with Elphaba that fateful day? Together they're the greatest team there's ever been... too bad that their past can't seem to leave them alone. Fiyeraba, NOT Gelphie. AU.
1. Chapter 1 We All Got Bruises

**AN: Sorry, guys, but inspiration hits when it hits! I'm currently working on the final chapter of Made to be broken, and I'll update it soon, but this one popped into my head and as usual, it refused to get out again. **

**I guess the summary says it all.**

**Disclaimer: Again, I'm not going to put this up for every chapter because I'm too lazy to, so pay attention now: I. Do. Not. Own. Wicked. Period.**

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**Chapter 1. We All Got Bruises**

'Glinda… Come with me!'

'_What_?!' Glinda squeaked. She jumped backwards, shocked. Elphaba held out the broom to her in an inviting gesture. 'Think about what we can do… together! We'd be unlimited!'

Glinda swallowed. She could see it – her and Elphie, flying around Oz on this weird broomstick, rescuing Animals… Perhaps they could change things in Oz together. For the better. With the Grimmerie, Elphaba's magic and Glinda's… well… charm… they would be unstoppable.

No! What was she thinking? She couldn't go with Elphie – it would mean giving up everything! Her education, her friends, her boyfriend… even though she didn't like them all that much anymore now that he had started thinking… and her _popularity_. She gasped. No, she could never leave her popularity behind… could she?

'Glin,' Elphaba said pleadingly. 'The Wizard and Morrible are evil. They're taking away the Animals' ability to speak! Someone has to do something, and I'm going to, Glinda. I want to help the Animals. With or without you.' She held out her hand. 'But I really prefer doing it _with_ you.'

The guards pounded on the door. 'Open up, in the name of his supreme Ozness!' one of them shouted. Glinda looked back at the door, frightened, but Elphaba ignored them completely.

'Just you and I,' said Elphaba quietly, trying to convince her friend. 'Defying gravity.'

'They'd never bring us down…' whispered Glinda. In a clock-tick, she made her decision. Elphaba positioned herself on the broom, ready to fly away. She looked at her friend a bit uncertainly. 'Well? Are you coming?' She really did hope Glinda would come with her. She was her best, and only, friend, and she would miss her an awful lot if she were to stay behind.

Glinda hesitated only a moment before jumping on the broom with Elphaba.

'Alright, go!' she yelled, and Elphaba kicked off, just as the Gale Force burst through the doors. They aimed their rifles at the two witches and tried to shoot them down. Glinda shrieked, covering her head with her arms, and Elphaba gritted her teeth as she steered the broom towards the open window and flew out of it. The Emerald City glistened beneath them, in all its green glory, and Glinda slowly removed her arms. 'We made it?'

Elphaba nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. 'We made it.'

Glinda squealed and threw her arms around her friend. 'We made it!' she exulted. 'Bye bye, _Wizard_! You're going down!'

Elphaba couldn't help but laugh at her friend's enthusiasm. She knew it wouldn't be that easy. Not by far. It was going to be a long, hard journey, a battle for justice, but in the end, it would be worth it. As she sat here, on this broom, flying high - with her best friend clutching her waist in order to keep herself from falling off - and the strong wind whipping her hair around her face… she felt free. For the first time in a long time, she felt completely free and she felt strong, as if she could take on the entire world. She threw her head in her neck and laughed, letting go of the broom and spreading her arms, feeling the exhilarating rush of flying. When she was little, she had often wished that she could fly, and now her wish was granted… and it was every bit as amazing as she had imagined it to be.

Glinda's giggles turned to shrieks and she clutched Elphaba tighter. 'Elphaba Melena Thropp, please tell me you are _not _flying without hands right now!'

Elphaba grinned. 'Yes I am.' She felt like a playful child, but just for this moment, she didn't care. She always kept her composure, she was always so serious… but right now, she felt like yelling and laughing and singing, she felt like acting childish, and she didn't even try to hold it back. 'Woohoo!'

'Get your hands back on that broom!' Glinda shouted. 'Get a hold of that broom again_ right this instant__ or I swear I'm gonna…'_

_Elphaba suddenly dipped the broom lower, just to tease her friend, and Glinda cut herself off with a terrified squeal. 'Iiiiieeeeh!_'

Elphaba laughed again, but did as Glinda wished. She flew in the direction of the Great Kells. She figured they would be safe there for a while; they could find a cave or something to hide in, at least for tonight, and they could come up with a plan. She was planning on joining the Resistance, helping them bring down the Wizard, but to do that, she would have to find them first.

Her happy, carefree mood faded when she thought about what she had just done. She had defied the Wizard. She had flown off on a broomstick, and she had dragged her best friend with her. Without a second thought, she had left everything behind, everything that she had ever known.

There was no doubt in her mind that she had made the right decision. The only thing she regretted was that she had to leave Nessa behind, but she knew that her sister would be okay. She had Boq to take care of her. Other than her, there was nothing Elphaba would miss. Her home had never been a home to her in the first place, her father never a father. The students at Shiz had only shunned her and made fun of her. She briefly thought of Fiyero and that one moment in that clearing with a Lion Cub, but she quickly dismissed that thought. All she was leaving behind was pain. Pain and illusions. No, she didn't regret leaving at all.

She _was _uncertain, however, about the fact that she had brought Glinda with her. Had _that _been the right thing to do? Out of the two of them, Elphaba had always been the passionate one, the one that wanted to meet the Wizard and actively change things in Oz. Glinda, though not nearly as shallow as she sometimes appeared to be, had never thought that far. She had just wanted to marry Fiyero, have children, and be popular, meaning she would get to show off her husband and children and look pretty herself at every chance she got. She wanted parties and shopping sprees, and now, she would never have that again. Elphaba wasn't sure what the Wizard and Morrible were going to do now, but she didn't doubt for a clock-tick that it wouldn't be pretty. Soon, they would probably be wanted in all of Oz – she had stolen the _Grimmerie_, for Oz's sake. And now they were looking for Glinda, too.

She looked back at the blonde. 'Glin?' she asked hesitantly, and the blonde, who had been lifting her face up to the sun, eyes closed, now cracked open one cerulean eye. 'Hm?'

'Are you sure you want this?' asked Elphaba quietly. 'To come with me? I mean… making a change in Oz… that's always been my thing. My dream, my cause. Not yours. You gave up everything, Glin… I could still take you back, you know – the Wizard would forgive you if you apologised. You could still have all you ever wanted.'

'But I don't want it,' said Glinda seriously, holding Elphaba's shoulders, squeezing them softly. 'I can't want it anymore.'

Elphaba scowled playfully at her. 'Don't you throw my own words back at me, missy.'

Glinda giggled. 'I'm sorry. It just fitted.' She nodded confidently. 'I'm sure, though, Elphie. My old life was boring. I'm up for something new. I want to do something greater than just being popular and looking pretty. I want to be bigger than that. You made me see that, Elphie – you made me realise that I could be so much more than just the bubbly little blonde, and now I get a chance to be just that. To start over.'

'But Glinda-'

'Stop protesting, Elphie,' the blonde said sternly. 'I have a brain. I can decide for myself. I'm coming with you.'

Elphaba closed her mouth and flashed her friend a smile over her shoulder. 'Thanks, Glin.'

* * *

By the time they reached the base of the Great Kells, night was falling and it had gotten darker. Dark clouds gathered above their heads and thunder rumbled in the distance, and Glinda's grip on her friend tightened. 'Elphie?' she asked in a small, quivering voice.

'Don't worry, Glin,' the green girl said, gaze fixed on the sky in front of her. 'I'm going to try and outrun that storm, okay? It's not far now. We could make it.'

Glinda bit her lip. 'I hope so.'

Elphaba flew on for a while. She steered the broom lower, towards the ground; but just then, a particular strong wind captured them and spun them around. They both screamed as the wind threw them towards the mountain tops, and Elphaba tightened her grip on the broom to the point where her knuckles turned white; she yanked it upwards and, still spinning, they flew higher again.

Glinda was crying. 'Elphie, get out of here!'

'I'm trying!' the dark-haired witch shouted above the howling wind. 'But I can't! The wind is too strong – the storm caught up with us!'

Glinda squeezed her eyes shut. 'We're gonna die!' she cried, and Elphaba set her jaw and struggled to get the broom under control. 'Hold on, Glinda!'

Lightning flashed and thunder roared, and Glinda screamed again. The rain lashed against their exposed skin and poured into their eyes, making it difficult for Elphaba to see where they were going. The wind was still howling and pulling at the broom, and Glinda buried her face in Elphaba's hair, too frightened to look. Elphaba was panting with the effort to keep them up in the air; the truth was, however, that she didn't have any experience with flying at all, and the wind was too strong for her to keep the broom straight. She wiped the rain from her eyes. 'I'm going to try and land, Glinda!' she yelled over her shoulder. 'Hold on tight!'

Taking a deep breath, she steered the broom down again. The wind gripped them and pulled them down harder, sending them flying in all different directions, throwing them back and forth. Glinda screamed in fear and Elphaba swore under her breath as they were pulled down; they spun upside down and then the wind threw them sideways, towards a solid rock wall.

Elphaba tried to avoid it, but she couldn't. The wall came closer and closer, and they both squeezed their eyes shut, bracing themselves for the impact.

Then they crashed into the rock and smacked down onto the floor, both of them unconscious.

* * *

When Glinda opened her eyes again, she found herself staring into the face of a Sheep.

With a shriek, she shot up and scrambled back, away from the creature. The Sheep grinned at her. 'She's awake!' she announced, and others, humans and some Animals, came standing around the blonde girl.

Glinda screamed again. She found her purse, the one she had brought with her when they fled the Throne Room, right next to her, and she grabbed it and started swatting at the people with it. 'Get away from me!' she shrieked.

'Glinda, relax!' The blonde froze at that voice, and when she saw Elphaba approaching her, she burst into tears. 'Elphie!' she wailed. 'Those people are attacking me!'

Elphaba chuckled. 'They're not attacking you, silly. They're helping us.' She studied her friend. 'How's your arm?'

Glinda looked down at her right arm, which was bandaged tightly, and she paled visibly. 'What happened?'

'We crashed into a rock wall,' said Elphaba matter-of-factly. 'Remember the storm?'

Glinda did, and she gasped. 'But… we hit rock!' she protested. 'Aren't we supposed to be dead?'

Elphaba chuckled. 'Well, thank Oz we're not! They,' Elphaba gestured to the people around them, 'found us and brought us here. You're not going to believe this – they're part of the Resistance!' Her eyes were shining.

Glinda shook her head. 'How long was I out?'

'Three days,' replied Elphaba, and the blonde's eyes widened. '_Three days_?!'

Her friend nodded gravely. 'You broke your upper arm and you had a concussion. You had me pretty worried,' Elphaba admitted. 'How are you feeling now?'

Glinda tentatively touched her head and moved her arm, but when she did that, she blanched in pain. The Sheep dashed forward. 'Don't move your arm!' she urged. 'You'll have to keep it still for a few weeks, so that the bone can heal.'

Glinda grumbled. 'Ugh. Just great.' She touched the back of her head, only to find another bandage there. 'Elphie, what _happened_?!'

Elphaba sat down next to her friend. 'We crashed into that wall sideways,' she said. 'We hit it full force – we're lucky to have gotten out with only minor injuries. It could've been a lot worse.'

'Minor injuries?' Glinda looked at her arm and brought her fingers up to her head in disgust. 'You call that minor?'

'A broken arm, a head wound, a concussion and some bruises? Yes, I call that minor,' said Elphaba sharply. 'We could have been dead!'

Glinda fell silent at that. 'What about you, Elphie?' she asked finally, softly. 'Are you okay?'

Elphaba shrugged. 'A few bruised ribs, a broken arm as well, and a few stitches in my forehead. That's all. I'll live – and so will you, thank Oz.'

Glinda reached out and squeezed her friend's hand, knowing, as always, what she was thinking. 'It wasn't your fault, Elphie,' she said gently. 'It was a storm. You couldn't help it.'

'_I_ was flying the broom,' said Elphaba quietly. 'If you had…'

'But I didn't.' Glinda squeezed the green girl's hand again. 'We're gonna be okay. So what happened afterwards?'

Elphaba shifted a little, crossing her legs. 'Well, we both fell unconscious at the impact,' she said. 'Nurya here,' she nodded towards a small Blackbird, 'found us. Mey,' she indicated the Sheep, 'is a Resistance nurse, and with help from the others, she took care of us. I woke up yesterday, and they told me everything. They're part of the underground Resistance that wants the Wizard gone.' Her eyes were shimmering again. 'And we're going to help them.'

Glinda propped herself up against the wall. 'How?'

'They agreed to train us,' replied Elphaba. 'They'll teach us everything we need to know about being part of the Resistance, from stealth and distraction techniques to stealing and combat skills. There's even a Resistance sorceress in Quadling Country who could teach us how to better control our magic!' She squeezed Glinda's hand happily, clearly excited at the mere prospect. 'We'll truly be unlimited, Glinda!'

The blonde hugged her friend. She'd made up her mind. What was happening in Oz was wrong, and these people – and Animals – seemed nice. If she and her best friend could help, could really make a difference, freeing Animals from oppression and slaughter… then who was she to turn her back on them?

She took a deep breath and looked into Elphaba's eyes. 'Let's do it.'

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**Please let me know what you think so far! The next chapter will be... ah... different. You'll see.**


	2. Chapter 2 Whiskey Girl

**AN: Wow! Thank you so much for the overwhelming reviews! Twelve reviews for only one chapter... Seriously, I'm so excited right now! That's never happened to me before - thank you all so much!**

**Elphaba-WWW: That's funny... I do that, too :3. I never follow stories, since my mailbox is always overflowing, and stuff. :)**

**To all of you who asked if they should be scared by this chapter being 'different' from the last: well... um... perhaps. Slightly. A tiny little bit... You'll see. Read on and decide for yourself.**

**Shout out: PeachBlossom and I had an idea. Some of you might know that ChaoticSymphonyofDarkness is leaving/has left Fanfiction, and we know that she has touched many of us with either her stories, her wonderful reviews and support, or both; that's why we wanted to create a little drabble thing for her, just different authors all creating their own drabble and putting them all together... if you're interested, please PM either PeachBlossom or me. Thanks in advance! :)**

**Last but not least, this chapter is dedicated to musicgal3, whose birthday was two days ago (more or less; time difference makes it hard to say :3). Better late than never: happy birthday! :D**

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_Two years later…_

**Chapter 2. Whiskey Girl**

'And now, dear Ozians,' announced Morrible, having plastered on her broad fake smile, 'I present to you: his Royal Highness, Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus, our new Captain of the Guard!'

Everyone cheered and clapped, and Fiyero stepped onto the stage, giving the people nothing more but a nod and a half-hearted wave. Morrible gushed at him. 'So, _Captain_, you finally made it!'

'I did.'

'Will you keep Oz safe?' a woman screamed from the audience, and Fiyero straightened his back and raised his chin. 'I will try the very best I can.'

'Does that mean you'll find and kill the Wicked Witches for us?' another woman wanted to know.

Fiyero only faltered for the briefest moment. 'I can assure you that I will do everything in my power to find them,' he evaded the most important part of the question skilfully. Find them he would. Kill them was an entirely different story, but there was no need for them to know that.

'And the Resistance?' a man bellowed. 'They burned down the city hall the other day!'

Fiyero suppressed an impatient sigh. 'I will deal with them,' he said simply. Morrible took over again. 'Dear Ozians!' she said brightly. 'This is a joyful day, for our Prince Fiyero here has been promoted – and under his skilful leadership, the Resistance will be brought down!'

The people cheered, and Morrible turned towards Fiyero. 'Master Tiggular,' she said, narrowing her eyes at him gravely. 'I hope you realise the grave task that has been bestowed upon you with this title.'

'I do, Madame,' he said, and she nodded. 'I certainly hope you do. Your most important task will be to destroy the Resistance.' Her eyes burned with intensity in her make-up plastered face. As usual when she was this uncomfortably close to him, he was struck by the obvious similarities between her and the fish he used to catch in the pond back at the Vinkus. It was like one of those fish had grown arms and legs and rolled around in a make-up box for a few hours before presenting itself to the world as Morgana Morrible.

He had to stifle a laugh at that thought, and Morrible's eyes snapped up to his face, seeming to pierce him with their fierce look. He shifted uncomfortably. 'I hope you realise this isn't a joke, Master Tiggular,' she said in a low, threatening voice. 'Your job is serious. Destroy the Resistance and _bring me back that wretched Grimmerie._' She grunted with dismay. 'And if you can… convince the people of the wickedness of the Witches.'

'Why do the people need to be convinced?' he asked, trying not to show that his heart was pounding in his chest at the mere mention of the Witches. 'I'd say they realise what danger the Witches pose.'

Morrible snorted. 'Not even close. Perhaps in the farmlands, they're scared, but here in the City…' She shook her head and clacked her tongue. 'They're too careless. They brush it off, not thinking they're in any immediate danger. Even that new trend of painting oneself green has persisted – they don't associate the colour with the Wicked Witch of the West, no, they associate it with the City itself! They're _proud _to wear it! There are men and women painting themselves green all over – making it even harder for me to find that little witch!' She snarled in anger, but composed herself quickly. 'That is what I expect you to do as our new Captain, Master Fiyero.'

'Destroy the Resistance. Convince the people. Get back the Grimmerie. Got it.' He saluted. 'I won't disappoint you, Madame.'

'You'd better not, Prince Fiyero.' It was almost as if she was looking right through him. 'And you know there's another task involved with all this, right? The most important task of them all.'

He felt decidedly uncomfortable now. 'What's that, Madame?'

She inhaled audibly, her nostrils wide, and hissed, 'Kill those Witches.'

* * *

'Well hello there, gorgeous.' Elphaba slipped onto the bar crutch next to her target and winked at him, sipping her drink. 'Are you here all alone?'

The man, a high advisor of the Wizard, eyed her up and down eagerly. She suppressed a repulsed shiver. 'Yes, I am,' he said in answer to her question. 'But not anymore, apparently.'

She stirred her drink with her finger, never taking her eyes off him. 'How could a man like you be alone for long?' she purred, and he flashed her a grin. 'That's what I'm always wondering myself.'

Oh, what a stuck-up ass! She smiled sweetly at him. 'Can I buy you another drink?'

He waved her away. 'Oh, no. A lady should never buy a man a drink. Hey, Geoey!' he called to the bartender. 'Two more shots!'

'Coming up!' the bartender yelled back, and Elphaba leaned forward, allowing her target a generous look into her low-cut dress. 'Do you come here often?'

'Way too often,' he said, followed by a bellowing laugh. She noticed that his eyes never strayed from her cleavage. Huh. Men.

She slid closer and slipped off her high-heeled shoe, starting to massage the man's calf with her stockinged foot. His eyes widened and she flashed him yet another slightly too innocent smile. 'So… where are your wife and children?' she asked him in a husky voice.

He gulped, suddenly lost for words. 'Um… I'm not married, and I don't have any… um… children.'

'A handsome guy like you?' She trailed the fingers of her one hand down his chest, bringing her other hand up to play with his hair. 'I have trouble believing that.'

He shook his head. 'I don't like being tied down. I'm a free spirit,' he declared. The bartender placed their shots on the bar and the advisor took his and downed it at once. Elphaba scooted closer to him and fluttered her eyelashes seductively. 'Lucky me.'

The man grinned and she took her own shot, throwing her head back as she emptied it, causing her long raven hair to cascade down her back in luscious waves. She saw the man eyeing her eagerly and she smiled a little. This was too easy.

'So what do you say?' she asked him, playing with the buttons of his shirt, opening one, then two. Again, his eyes nearly bulged out of his head. 'Wha- What do you mean?'

She pouted. 'Aren't you going to take me home?'

A grin. 'Oh. Oh… yes, of course, sugar, of course.' He turned to pay for the drinks, and Elphaba's eyes darted around the room for a moment, seeking out Glinda in a dark corner of the tavern. The blonde looked up and Elphaba widened her eyes a little, nodding towards her target. Glinda nodded, understanding, and the green girl turned back to the man. She smiled sweetly at him. 'Ready?'

'Always,' he said, linking his arm with hers and taking her with him, out of the café. Without looking back, Elphaba knew that Glinda was right behind them.

He led them to the richer part of the Emerald City, towards a huge mansion just opposite the Emerald Palace. Elphaba whistled when she saw it. 'Oh, this is beautiful! You must be very important,' she purred, pretending to be oblivious to his position in the government.

He grinned at her. 'I guess you could say that, yes.' He swung open his door. 'Please, enter.'

She brushed past him, a little too closely; and just as she had hoped, he suddenly snatched her to him and started kissing her. She kissed him back, hooking one of her long slender legs around his hip, and he pushed her against the wall, groping her. She pulled back a little. 'Not here,' she said suggestively, tangling her fingers in his hair again and pulling him closer to kiss him again. He lifted her up and she wrapped both her legs around his waist, allowing him to carry her upstairs… and making him forget all about his open front door.

He took her to his bedroom, kicking the bedroom door closed behind them, and he dropped her on the bed, leaning over her. She rolled over, so that she was on top, and brushed her lips against his collarbone. 'Let me,' she purred, and he happily obliged. She started unbuttoning his shirt, every time kissing the newly exposed skin, and he threw his head back and moaned, his eyes closing on their own accord.

He flipped them again, lying on top of her. 'Oz, you're a little temptress, aren't you?' he groaned, and she kissed him in reply. 'Am I?' she whispered seductively.

He laughed. 'You most certainly are.' He cocked his head a little to the side. 'Though I'm not really getting why you painted yourself green.'

Only a faint flicker of annoyance was visible in her face before she straightened it out again – no matter how much these people sometimes irked her, she knew she couldn't show any emotion, and she was good at keeping her composure. 'That's because men tend to find it exotic,' she whispered in his ear, and he nibbled on her earlobe, making her shudder – with repulsion, not pleasure, but little did he know. 'Exotic it is.'

Her eyes flickered briefly towards the doorway when she caught a faint flicker of something pink there, but she quickly focused on her own task again. She felt relieved, though – she hated this part of her job, but fortunately, it was almost over now.

She rolled over again, pinning him down beneath her. 'I'm exotic in more than one way,' she said huskily, and she could see his eyes darkening with lust. 'Show me.'

'My pleasure.' She started kissing him fiercely again, roughly pulling off his shirt in the process, and he groaned in pleasure. She then started unceremonious work opening his trousers, trailing butterfly kisses down his throat; and the moment he closed his eyes again, moaning, Glinda shot into the room and behind the curtain without making so much as a rustling noise.

The moment she was out of sight, Elphaba pulled away again, looking down at him innocently. 'I'll be right back,' she whispered seductively, kissing him briefly on the lips once more. 'I have to use the bathroom.'

He chuckled as she slid off him and made her way in the direction of the bathroom. 'Well, everyone has to go sometimes, of course. I'll be waiting here.' He wiggled his eyes at her suggestively, and she winked at him before disappearing behind the door.

Before she had even closed it, she heard the expected thump from the bedroom and she poked her head around the door again. Glinda was standing next to the bed, a thick book in her hands, and the advisor was lying on his stomach on the bed, unconscious.

Elphaba re-entered the room, smoothing out her dress with a disgusted look on her face. 'Next time,' she told Glinda sourly, '_I _will do the sneaking and the beating-the-guy-unconscious part, and _you _get to seduce him.'

Glinda giggled. 'Oh, Elphie! You did it perfectly!' she assured her friend. 'He totally bought it – you're getting better and better!'

Elphaba looked cross. 'I need a toothbrush. And a whole bucket of toothpaste.'

Her friend rolled her eyes. 'At least he didn't kiss like a dead snail. Remember the one _I _had last week? He just wiggled his disgusting thick wet tongue into my mouth and left it there. He didn't even move!'

A grin tugged at the corners of Elphaba's lips. 'Why, yes. I suppose it could have been worse.' She tilted her head a little to the side, becoming serious again. 'Do you have the papers?'

Glinda snorted. 'What do you think I am? An amateur?' She handed Elphaba the stack of papers she'd stolen from the man's study. The young witch quickly went through them and nodded, satisfied. 'Good. Now let's clean up.'

Together, the witches lifted the man off the bed and onto the floor. Glinda found a bottle of liquid in the sideboard and opened it, pouring the spirits all over the advisor's clothes, bed, and floor, then leaving the half-empty bottle on the floor, with the man's fingers curled around the bottle neck. Elphaba studied the display for a moment, then nodded again. 'That'll do it.' She looked at Glinda reproachfully. 'Of course, if you had just used the spell Mirilia taught us instead of giving him a blow to the head with a book…'

'I haven't perfected that spell yet!' protested Glinda. 'And this is a great solution, isn't it? He'll wake up with a pounding headache, but when he sees and smells the liquor, he'll just think he's hungover.'

'And the lump on his head?' asked Elphaba pointedly, and the small blonde faltered for a moment before saying smugly, 'He's on the floor, isn't he? He'll think he just toppled over when he drank too much.'

Elphaba shook her head. 'You don't know that.'

'Of course I don't, but he won't find us out, Elphie.' Glinda tentatively hopped over the man and the bottle to stand next to her friend. 'We didn't leave any traces – I checked. He won't find _you_ here in the morning, only a bottle of liquor. Really – he'll just think he got drunk off his ass and hallucinated about you. I've done this before, remember? I know what I'm doing.'

'Just use the spell next time,' said Elphaba crossly. 'It's easier. Not to mention less messy.'

Glinda rolled her eyes. '_Fine_.'

Elphaba secured the papers under her arm and looked around the room, assuring herself that they really hadn't left behind any trace at all. 'Good. Now let's get out of here.'

* * *

'Back so soon?' Mey greeted them as they entered the small, sloppy building at the outskirts of the Emerald City where Master Gold was hiding.

Within two years, they had made it from two frightened young witches with dream too big for their own good, to two of the most trusted members of the Resistance. Master Gold, or Corrin as the girls could call him, was the Leader of the Resistance, as well as Glinda's boyfriend; he was the one they had to answer to and the one that gave them their tasks.

The two of them worked in the upper circles of the Resistance. Usually, they had to steal important papers from one member of the government or another, and of course there was the occasional murder. Jobs Corrin only trusted very few of his most loyal members with, including, since a few months, Glinda and Elphaba.

During their first year, they had been trained thoroughly in many different areas. Their final test had been spending four months in Quadling Country with Mirilia, a sorceress that taught them how to better use and control their magic; then, now just over a year ago, they had been fully admitted into the Resistance. Slowly but steadily, they had worked their way up and into the good graces of Master Gold, until they had achieved their current position. Elphaba especially was immensely proud of what they had managed to do together; and though Glinda was proud of herself and her friend, too, frankly, she was more impressed by her position as Corrin's girlfriend than by her position as a Resistance member.

Glinda shrugged in response to the Sheep's question and tossed her hair, which was still blonde and slightly wavy, but not curly anymore; she'd grown it out and it now cascaded halfway down her back. 'Piece of cake.'

Elphaba grunted. 'Easily said by you.'

Glinda giggled. Mey wisely steered away from the subject. 'Master Gold said he wanted to see you as soon as you got back.'

Elphaba nodded and made her way up the stairs, Glinda trailing close behind. She knocked on the door and called, 'The white roses in the garden say the Goat has been milked.'

'Come in!' Corrin called from inside, and before he had even finished speaking, Elphaba strode inside, declaring, 'I still think it's an awful password.'

'Well, nice to see you, too, Elphaba,' he said, blue eyes glistening with amusement, and she crossed her arms and huffed. 'I'm serious. I get why you need a password to be convinced that there are Resistance members outside, but can't you find something a bit… cooler? Something that doesn't involve roses and milking Goats?'

Glinda giggled and bounced over to Corrin, pecking his cheek. 'Don't mind her, Corry. She's just in a bad mood because she lost.'

Corrin furrowed his brow in confusion. 'Lost with what?' he asked, puzzled, and Glinda said brightly, 'Rock, paper, scissors.'

Corrin's eyebrows shot up so far that they nearly disappeared into his hairline. 'Are you saying you two play rock, paper, scissors to decide who is going to do what on a particular night?'

Glinda nodded cheerfully. 'Yep. I had rock, she had scissors, so she had to seduce the guy.' She smirked at her friend, who rolled her eyes in response and sighed, 'Don't start, Corrin – I know it's stupid. I've told her that a thousand times, but she insists on doing it.'

'It's fair that way!' insisted Glinda.

'Whatever.' Elphaba dropped the stack of paper on Corrin's desk. 'Here you go.'

Corrin's face brightened. 'Wonderful.' He took the papers and put them away in the false bottom of one of his drawers, locking it with a small golden key. 'Did everything go well?'

'Super smooth,' nodded Glinda enthusiastically. 'Elphie can be quite seductive when she wants to be.'

'Shut up.' Elphaba turned around to stalk out of the room. 'I'm tired – I'm going home.'

'Meet me here again tomorrow at eight!' Corrin called after her. 'I have a new assignment for you!'

'Oh, joy!' came Elphaba's sarcastic and sullen reply from the hallway.


	3. Chapter 3 A Lot To Handle

**AN: Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews! :)**

**For those of you who are feeling bad for Fiyero because he's all alone while Elphie is off seducing creepy men: bear with me for just this chapter, and the next chapter will make you happy. Sort of. **

**The other-people-painting-themselves-green-as-a-fashio n-statement I did on purpose. I didn't want Elphie to hide away all the time in this story, but if she was the only green woman walking around, she wouldn't be able to go outside much or she'd be recognised immediately :3.**

**Musicgalgirl3: Your favourite lines were mine as well :D.**

* * *

**Chapter 3. A Lot To Handle**

'Those stupid white roses in the garden told me the freaking Goat has been milked _again_. That Goat sure must have an awful lot of hormones coursing through its body to be able to produce _this_ much milk!'

Corrin's voice sounded amused as it reached her from behind the door. 'Yes, Elphaba, you can come in now.'

She stalked inside, slamming the door shut behind her, her face a thundercloud. Glinda was sitting in Corrin's lap, giggling, which only worsened Elphaba's already foul mood. Corrin leaned forward and placed his hands on the desk, smirking at her. 'I take it your mood hasn't improved much since yesterday?'

'Morrible was in the paper this morning,' she grumbled as an answer. She made a cheerful face and said in a bright voice, 'Because our Madame Morrible is _such _a good woman! She protects Oz from their biggest enemy – the Resistance!'

Glinda sniggered. 'What was it about this time?'

Elphaba looked at the blonde briefly. 'Her campaign against the Wicked Witches of the North and West.'

Glinda gulped.

The raven-haired witch slumped down in a chair and traced circles on the arm of it. 'Don't worry, she's not succeeding yet. From what I've heard, Oz is divided at the moment.' She started counting on her fingers. 'Munchkinland is terrified of the witches – of us – but they're too scared to do anything. The Emerald City is still pretty relaxed about it, thinking it'll pass sooner or later, while the Vinkus and Quadling Country don't really support anyone – they're staying neutral, I suppose. Gillikin, on the other hand, practically has an army ready in case Morrible would want them to help her hunt us down. They're scared of us, too, but unlike the Munchkins, they're not afraid to do something about it.'

'Gillikin hates us?' Glinda bristled. '_I _am from Gillikin!'

'We know that, Glin,' said Elphaba drily. Glinda looked at her, anger and frustration sparking in her cerulean eyes. 'How can my homeland hate me?' she wanted to know. 'They all knew me – I'm an Upland! They used to admire me, adore me! All men wanted to marry me and all women wanted to _be _me! I am Glinda Upland of the Upper Uplands!'

'Not anymore, my sweet,' Elphaba interrupted her sharply. 'You knew the moment you decided to come with me that you had to leave everything behind. Your friends, your homeland, and your title. Glinda Upland of the Upper Uplands doesn't exist anymore – only the Wicked Witch of the North does. And if you regret that, well, I hate to break it to you, but it's too late to go back now!'

Glinda crossed her arms and glared at her green friend. 'You really are in a foul mood, aren't you?'

Before Elphaba could reply to that, Corrin held up both hands. 'Ladies, please.' He pushed Glinda off his lap and looked at them both. 'Stop bickering. There are more important matters to attend to.'

Elphaba and Glinda both settled down in the chairs opposite Corrin, and he looked at them gravely. 'Morrible and her campaign won't pose a real threat to you in the near future. Our spies in the Palace have told us, however, that the Wizard and Morrible have discovered the location of one of the Animal hideouts in the Great Gillikin Forest, and they've sent out the Gale Force. They're planning on attacking it today.'

'_Today_?' Elphaba echoed incredulously. Corrin nodded. 'It's at short notice, I know, but we only found out this morning. I need you to get over there and stop them.'

'But the Great Gillikin Forest is a two days' journey from here!' Glinda protested. Elphaba arched an eyebrow at her. 'Not if we go by broom.'

Glinda sulked. 'Do we have to?' she whined. 'I hate flying by broom!'

'Well, until you find a means of transport that's more comfortable and just as quick, let me know,' snapped Elphaba, rolling her eyes at her friend. Glinda stuck out her tongue. 'I will!'

The green girl looked back at Corrin. 'Anything else?'

He looked from one girl to the other for a moment before shaking his head. He would never understand either of them. They were so different, yet they were best friends; they fought and bickered every now and then, but they always had each other's back and they would do anything to protect the other. It was amazing, really – though sometimes extremely confusifying.

'Yes, actually,' he said in response to Elphaba's question. 'Recently, Madame Morrible and the Wizard have appointed a new Captain of the Guard.'

Glinda snorted. 'That's about time. The old one was nearly toppling over with old age.'

'Well, this one isn't,' said Corrin. 'He's a strong young man, and according to the press conference they gave, he is determined to bring down the Resistance and the Wicked Witches. I advise you to be careful – he might pose a threat if he finds out your real identities.'

'Who is he?' Glinda wanted to know boldly. 'I bet we can take him blindfolded!'

'I'd like to see you try,' said Corrin drily, 'but as usual, I won't give you a name. His identity doesn't really matter. However, I have learned that Morrible has given him the map of the Emerald Palace – the one all Captains get, with every trap, defence, and weak spot in security on it. Such a map could be of great value to us. The last Captain kept his hidden away in a bank vault, but this new one…'

'Where does _he_ keep it?' asked Elphaba pointedly, and Corrin looked at her. 'In his home. My sources haven't confirmed where it is exactly, so you'll have to rummage through his things a bit. Of course, with your distraction techniques, that shouldn't be a problem.'

'And this time, _you _will do the distraction part,' Elphaba told her blonde friend. Glinda scowled at her and held out a hand. 'There's only one way to find out.'

Corrin suppressed a sigh when he realised what they were doing. 'Really?'

'Ha!' Elphaba jabbed her finger in Glinda's chest. 'Paper beats rock. I win! Good luck seducing that creep!'

Glinda's face darkened. 'Oh, Shiz.' She sighed. 'What does he look like?'

'He'll be sitting in the far right corner of the Merchant's Bar,' Corrin told them. 'Apparently he usually sits there alone, drinking.'

'Oh, so he's an alcoholic.' Glinda made a face. 'Gross. Their kisses always taste like liquor.'

'The one I had yesterday tasted like puke,' Elphaba told Glinda, who shuddered, then grinned devilishly at her friend. 'Well, in that case I'm glad _you _were the one kissing him and not me.'

Elphaba grabbed a stack of papers from Corrin's desk and smacked Glinda on the head with them. Glinda punched Elphaba's arm.

'What is _wrong _with you two today?' Corrin asked in exasperation, and Glinda smiled sweetly at him. 'Hormones.'

That shut him up. He faltered. 'Oh.' He cleared his throat awkwardly.

Elphaba grinned at him. 'Too much information?'

He made a face. 'Um… yes.' He wiggled his fingers. 'Both… both of you?'

'When women spend a lot of time together and live in the same house,' Glinda started to explain, 'their monthly-'

'Yes, yes, I get it!' Corrin cried, looking mortified. 'I get it. So, both of you. Fine. Excellent. Perfect. Now go and do what you have to do, please. If you succeed in retrieving the map from the Captain of the Guard, you can drop it off with Mey. I'll let you know whenever I need you again.'

Elphaba nodded. 'Okay.' She tugged at Glinda's arm. 'Let's go – my broom is in the hallway.'

* * *

By the time the Gale Force reached the Animal hideout, there was an unpleasant surprise waiting for them.

'Good afternoon, gentlemen,' said Glinda in a dangerous voice. She was twirling her wand between her fingers and tilted her head a little to the side, letting her wavy blonde hair flow down her one shoulder. 'What brings you here?'

'That's the Wicked Witch of the North!' one of the soldiers hissed, and a few others paled. Another stepped forward, clearly unimpressed. 'Move, lady, or we won't be responsible for any damage done.'

'To me?' she asked innocently, playing with a lock of golden hair. 'Or to you?'

A few of the soldiers laughed at the implication of her words, and they all pointed their guns at her. Glinda's heart always started to pound a little whenever something like this would happen, but she tried her hardest not to let it show. 'Guns. Aw, how cute.' She batted her eyelashes at them. 'Would you really shoot a lady?'

'No, but we would shoot a witch!' a soldier snarled, and he pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

A bone-chilling cackle echoed through the woods, making the men shift uncomfortably and look around them vigilantly. Glinda just smiled as her friend landed next to her and looked at the men in amusement. 'Here, boys,' she called, waving at them, and they froze at the sight of the two witches together. Glinda silently thanked whatever deity there was up there for Elphaba and that weird spell of hers that could melt metal – it had come in handy several times, especially when there were guns involved.

Elphaba made a gesture, and magic crackled around her fingers. 'You can choose now. Run or die.'

'I'd say run, if I were you,' Glinda advised them. The Gale Force soldiers looked at each other hesitantly, and Glinda pointed her wand at one of them. 'You! Do you like Madame Morrible?' she asked. The man blinked at her. 'Um… I, um…' Of course, no one really _liked _Morrible; but since he knew her to be a powerful sorceress, he was hesitant to say that out loud. 'I respect her,' was what he finally settled for, and Glinda giggled. 'Good enough.' She waved her wand, muttered a spell under her breath, and thus changed the soldier into a fish.

'Now the two of you match!' giggled Glinda, bouncing up and down. The fish thrashed around in the grass and the other men looked at it open-mouthed. Elphaba shook her head, though there was a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. 'Glinda, don't you think that was just the tiniest bit childish?'

Glinda shrugged. 'Maybe. But it was fun.' She muttered another spell and the fish changed back into a soldier. 'Now, unless you _all _want to end up like that – for good… get out of here!'

'No!' The soldier that was apparently the leader of this particular group stepped forward and pointed at the witches. 'Attack!' And they did.

Both girls knew what they had to do if situations like these ever arose. Neither of them ever _enjoyed _murder, but sometimes, it couldn't be avoided; and protecting the Animals was more important than anything else.

By the time they flew off on Elphaba's broom, there were lifeless bodies dressed in uniforms scattered across the forest floor.

* * *

'Glin?'

The blonde looked to her side, where Elphie was walking, a concerned look in her chocolate brown eyes. 'Are you okay?'

Glinda heaved a shaky sigh. 'Yeah, fine,' she muttered. 'I just… I hate doing what we had to do today.'

Elphaba smiled a bit sadly. 'I know.' She squeezed her friend's hand. 'But it had to be done.'

Glinda nodded, then shook her head. 'You're right. And it's not like it hasn't happened before – sometimes it's necessary. I just… I always need some time to get it out of my system.'

'I've been out flying on my broom all afternoon,' Elphaba confessed quietly. 'It gets to me, too, and flying helps. It's like the wind washes everything away, and it gives me time to think.'

They reached the Merchant's bar, and they stopped. 'Ready?' asked Elphaba, and Glinda grunted, straightened her bright pink dress, and nodded. 'Ready. Let's go kiss some creeps.'

Her friend chuckled and walked into the bar first, taking a seat in a dark corner. She could see their target sitting at the table in the corner opposite hers; his back was towards her and there was a bottle of beer on the table in front of him, out of which he would take a sip every now and then. She made herself comfortable and watched as Glinda came walking into the bar.

The blonde looked around for a moment. She found Elphaba in one corner, which reassured her – the two of them always had each other's back, and that was great to know. She never had to be scared, because Elphie would never let anything happen to her.

The Captain of the Guard was in the other corner, and as if he felt her eyes trained on him, he started looking around. She quickly hopped over to his table and fluttered her eyelashes at him. 'Are you looking for something, or… someone?'

The man let out a mirthless laugh. 'I've heard that before…' he mused without even looking at her. 'A long, long time ago.' He sighed and downed some of his beer, then turned back to look at her and immediately sprayed the liquid from his mouth across the table. '_Glinda_?! Is that you?'

To her complete horror and surprise, she found her own eyes locked with the azure blue eyes of her former boyfriend, Fiyero Tiggular.

She stared at him wide-eyed as he took her in, an incredulous look on his face. Glinda gulped, then let out a nervous laugh. 'Glinda? Who's Glinda? I'm not Glinda!' she rambled. 'I'm sorry, I was looking for someone else… bye!' And with that, she dashed out of the bar, leaving a dazed and very confused Fiyero behind.

Elphaba waited for a few moments before following her partner in crime. She found Glinda outside, pacing up and down and chewing her nails frantically. 'Glin?'

The blonde turned to her and grabbed her shoulders. 'Elphie, you have to do this one!'

Elphaba was confused. 'What? Why?'

'He's…' Glinda gulped. 'He's a guy we… we knew back at Shiz,' she said innocently. 'He recognised me.'

'Really? Who is he?'

'I don't know,' Glinda lied, shrugging. 'Just some guy. But Elphie, he knows me! I can't do this!'

Elphaba scowled at her. 'We did rock, paper, scissors, Glinda. I won. It's your turn.'

'Elphie, _please_!' Glinda wailed, clutching her friend's arm. 'He's… ah… it's… um… complicated. But… things would get really awkward if I were to do it. I can't do it! He'd never buy it! Please, Elphie! _Please_!'

Elphaba sighed. 'Glin, if he recognises _you_, don't you think he'll recognise _me_?' She gestured towards herself. 'There was only one green girl at Shiz!'

'But there are many green girls in the City!' Glinda countered. 'Perhaps he won't recognise you!' She was pretty sure he would, but she couldn't face Fiyero. She just couldn't. Elphie would probably kill her once she found out who exactly this new Captain of the Guard was, but she was _so _much better with these kinds of situations than Glinda was. '_Please_, Elphie! If you do this one for me, I'll do the next… three!'

Elphaba's eyes lit up. 'Promise?'

'Promise!' Glinda nodded so violently that her hair bounced across her shoulders, and Elphaba sighed and straightened her own shoulders. 'Fine, then. I'll do it. But you promised, remember? You seduce the next three ones.'

Glinda nodded again. '_Promise_!' Anything to not have to face Fiyero.

Elphaba sighed again, then stepped inside the bar. The man was hunched over his table again, drinking some beer every now and then. She smoothly slipped into the chair beside him, hooked her leg around his and started playing with the hair at the back of his head. 'Hey, handsome,' she purred.

He turned his head, allowing her to see his face. As if she had been stung, she sprang away from him, horrified. '_Fiyero_?!'

* * *

**I personally really love the next chapter. I hope you will, too.**

**Reviews keep me going! :)**


	4. Chapter 4 Different

**AN: I love you guys. Like, seriously. Virtual hugs for all of you.**

**I told you last time that you'd love this chapter... I take that back. You might love the beginning, or something, but I don't think you'll like how Fiyeraba works out here. But Fiyeraba will prevail in the end - I don't have to tell you that, do I? ;)**

**Musicgal3: Those were my own favourite lines, too! :) Especially the ones about the Goat being milked and the conversation about that one subject Corrin _really _didn't want to hear anything about :P.**

* * *

**Chapter 4. Different**

He stared at her in disbelief. '_Elphaba_?' He looked at the door, then at her, then at the door again. 'Does that mean that really was Glinda just a minute ago?'

Elphaba grinded her teeth. 'Glinda… I'm gonna kill her.' Then she frowned at him. 'Wait a clock-tick. _You're _the new Captain of the Guard?'

He faltered. 'I, um… yes.'

She hissed between her teeth. 'Great. Just great.' She shook her head. 'Never mind. This'll never work. I have to go,' she said, turning around and making to leave. She knew that she could never trick Fiyero the way she had tricked the others, and neither could Glinda. Someone else should do this job.

Before she could take more than one step, however, he'd caught her wrist. 'Don't go yet,' he pleaded. 'Please?'

She let out a mirthless laugh. 'And why not?'

He just kept looking at her until she sighed and gave in, sliding in the seat across from him. He leaned over the table, eyeing her up and down as if he couldn't believe she was really here. 'What are you doing here?'

'None of your business,' she said gruffly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. He nodded slowly. 'Fair enough. Where have you _been_, then, Elphaba? You and Glinda-'

'That's also none of your business,' she snapped. 'Besides, _you _of all people should know. You're the Captain of the Guard, aren't you?' She mimicked Morrible. 'Our new Captain of the Guard, who wants nothing more than to bring down the Resistance and the Wicked Witches!'

He opened his mouth, but she didn't give him a chance to speak. 'Just _know_, Tiggular, that if you so much as breathe a word about me or Glinda to _anyone_, I will castrate you. I'm not joking. I've done it before and I can do it again. You were Glinda's boyfriend, and my… Well, I actually don't know what you were to me, but at least we were acquainted and I think it's incredibly low of you that you actually believed all those rumours about us being wicked. I would have thought you knew better than that, but apparently, you don't, so the least you could do is let us get away this once and-'

'Hey!' he interrupted her, finally effectively shutting her up. There was a small smile playing around his lips when he looked at her, and his sky blue eyes were soft. 'Do you ever let anyone else talk?' he asked, and she was immediately flung back in time and space, back to that day in the clearing with the Lion Cub…

No. She shook her head. 'No, I don't. Don't you remember?'

He laughed softly. 'I remember.' He cocked his head. 'So, whatever it was that you were coming here to do… are you still going to do it?'

She had grown so frustrated with him that she just blurted it out. 'Well,' she said bluntly, 'that depends. Now that you know who I am, would you still let me charm my way into your pants?'

That, she noted smugly, shut him up. 'What?' he asked, baffled.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. 'You heard me.'

For some reason, he looked absolutely horrified and even a little angry as he demanded, 'Is _that _what you've been doing for the past two years? Sleeping around with random men?'

She didn't understand why that would bother him so much, but the implication of what he was saying certainly rubbed _her _the wrong way.

'Do I look like a prostitute to you?' she snapped at him. 'Do you really think I sank _that _low? If you must know: no, I don't sleep around with random men. One: the men are never random.' She had the pleasure of seeing him blanch visibly at what he thought she was implying. 'And two,' she continued, 'I never _sleep _with men. I seduce them, I kiss them, I play with them,' she left that last remark up to his own imagination, 'but I never sleep with them.'

'So you were hitting on me just now,' he concluded, and she flushed. 'Well yes, but not because you're _attractive _or anything!'

He mockingly put his hand over his heart. 'Ouch.'

She flushed an even darker shade of red. 'I didn't mean that!' She glared at him – she hated how he always made her feel so awkward and say stupid things. 'Never mind. You wouldn't understand.'

'I understand a lot more than you think,' he said, but she shook her head. 'I'm leaving now.'

She rose from her seat, but he quickly got up, too, and grabbed her arm. 'Wait!'

'Why?' she demanded. He hesitated for a moment, then said, 'Why don't you just do what you came here to do?'

She stared at him incredulously. 'Charm my way into your pants?'

He laughed. 'If that's what you came here to do, go on ahead, but I'm guessing there's something more to it. Whatever you need, it's at your disposal.'

She narrowed her eyes at him. 'Is this some kind of joke?' _Or a trap, perhaps?_ But no… she couldn't imagine him doing that.

He shrugged. 'If you don't want to…'

'Okay, fine!' she snapped. She rolled her eyes and yanked her arm out of his grip. 'Take me to your home.'

His eyebrows went up. 'Straightforward, aren't we?'

'You said you'd give me what I wanted,' she reminded him. 'So take me to your home.'

He paid for his drink, then took her with him. His home wasn't as impressive as the advisor's mansion had been, but it was still pretty big – especially compared to the old, sloppy building she and Glinda had lived in for the past weeks. They moved around every a lot, to avoid getting caught; but wherever they lived, it was never fancy.

When they were in the hallway and he made to close the door, she stopped him. 'Leave it open.'

He obeyed without question and took her to a study, where he sat down on a couch. He tilted his head inquiringly, clearly asking her with his eyes to join him, but she moved to sit on a desk chair – backwards, with her arms leaning on the back of the chair. 'Now please tell me why you're so insistent on not letting me go.'

He opened his mouth, but faltered. Where could he begin? He wanted to tell her that he loved her, that he had ever since Shiz, and that he only joined the Gale Force to find her – well, and Glinda, too, when he was at it, but mostly her.

Somehow, though, he couldn't. She'd changed so much since he'd last seen her… she was clearly just as intelligent and passionate, if not more so, but she was… different. It was like the walls she'd already had around herself back at Shiz were even thicker and higher now, and she was harsher than he remembered – but there was something in her eyes that reminded him of how she used to be.

As if she was reading his mind, her eyes softened a bit and she looked away. 'You're still thinking of me as that girl I was back at Shiz,' she concluded quietly. 'But I'm not, Fiyero.'

'Why not?' he wanted to know. 'How much can a person really change in two years?'

She let out a mirthless laugh. 'An awful lot, Fiyero.' She met his eyes. 'I'm not that girl anymore. Glinda's not the same either, and neither are you. We've all changed. We've all moved on.'

That was his opening. 'I never did.'

She tilted her head a little to the side, confused, and his heart soared when he recognised the gesture from back when he knew her at Shiz. No matter how much she claimed to have changed, she was still the same person.

She didn't seem ready for his confession yet, though – he was afraid he'd scare her away if he told her now, and so he settled for a question of his own. 'Please tell me where you've been, Elphaba.'

'Glinda and I joined the Resistance,' she replied immediately. 'While you were busy working yourself into Morrible's good graces, _we _made it to the top of the Resistance. Glinda has a new boyfriend, actually – our leader.'

She had expected him to show off an emotion when she threw that at him, perhaps regret or sadness, but he just nodded. 'Good. I'm happy for her.'

She quirked an eyebrow at him, but his facial expression didn't change. She decided to let it slide for now. 'So… that's what we've been doing. What have _you _been doing? Besides leading the single group of people that are being paid to kill me and your former girlfriend, of course.'

He cringed. 'I never wanted to kill you.'

'Then why join the Gale Force?' she asked pointedly, making her chair spin a little to the right, then a little to the left, and back again, ever restless.

He opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again. 'I…' He swallowed. 'I just…' He raked his fingers through his hair and sighed. 'Look, Elphaba… When you and Glinda left… I was all alone, back at Shiz. I missed you. Both of you.' She seemed stunned at that, but he went on. 'And I wanted to find you again. That's why I joined the Gale Force and worked my way up – in order to find you.'

She tilted her head again, intrigued. 'Really?'

He nodded, relieved that he had finally gotten it out. 'Really.'

She arched her eyebrows. 'And what are you going to do with me, now that you've found me?'

_Kiss you. Hold you. Love you. Never let you go again. _'I'm… I'm not sure yet.'

She huffed. 'You're so brainless.' She shook her head. 'Coming here was a mistake, Fiyero. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done this.'

'You still don't trust me, do you?' he asked her, and she gave him a look that told him he was stating the obvious. 'Of course not.'

He shouldn't have been surprised. 'How can I get you to trust me?'

She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes, pretending to seriously think about his question. 'Join the Resistance and prove yourself worthy?'

'And then you'd trust me?'

She cocked her head. 'On second thought… no.' She leaned her chin on her arms, which were still resting on the back of her chair. 'Don't take it personally, Fiyero. I don't trust anyone. I trust our leader and I trust Glinda, and that's about it. Trust is one of the many things I was forced to give up when the man I had always so much faith in, declared me a Wicked Witch.'

He cringed. 'I'm sorry.'

She shrugged. 'I'm not. Things happened, and we can't change them now. Besides, my life isn't bad at the moment. At least I know I'm doing good, I'm helping Oz, and that's what I've always wanted, after all.'

'But still,' he said sincerely. 'I want you to trust me.'

She scoffed. He thought about it. 'You're on a Resistance mission, right? To get something from me.'

She didn't bother denying it – she'd pretty much given this away herself earlier. 'Yes.'

'So, what is it?' he asked. 'I'll give it to you, no matter what – would that help?'

She rolled her eyes. 'I suppose it would be a step in the right direction,' she acknowledged. 'I need the map of the Palace Morrible has given you.'

'In the drawer of my desk in my bedroom,' he replied immediately. She flashed him a grin. 'Thanks.' Then she muttered under her breath, '_Ni Amplia Somnus Sheh._'

'What was that?' he asked, slightly confused. As his eyelids slowly started to droop, he caught her looking at him with something that was awfully close to sympathy in her eyes. 'I'm sorry, Yero. I really am.'

Then he lost consciousness.

* * *

Elphaba came out of the study and climbed the stairs. Glinda poked her head around the bedroom door at the other side of the hallway. 'He's asleep?'

'He is,' Elphaba confirmed, entering the room after the blonde. 'Desk drawer in bedroom.'

Glinda understood immediately and searched said drawer. 'Got it.' She held up the map. 'Now let's get out of here.'

Elphaba heaved a sigh. 'I hate doing this to him.'

'Me, too,' admitted Glinda. 'I mean, I don't love him anymore – I don't think I ever really did – but we did spend a lot of time together back at Shiz, and, well…' She shrugged, then sighed. 'Sometimes I wish we could go back to those times.'

'Unfortunately, we can't.' Elphaba took the map from Glinda and safely tucked it in her bra. 'Let's go.'

They made their way back to the outskirts of town and entered the building. Elphaba handed Mey the map, then went on. 'Is he here?'

'Yes,' said Mey, slightly baffled. 'But I thought…' She trailed off when Elphaba ignored her and stomped her way up the stairs, towards Corrin's study. She knocked and yelled, 'Roses, Goat, milk!' before entering without waiting for a reply.

Corrin didn't pull a muscle, just arched one eyebrow. 'Sometimes I wonder what I should do with you.'

She ignored that and placed both hands on his desk, leaning forward. 'You have to get me out of the City.'

He blinked at her. 'What?'

She sighed and sat down. 'Listen.' She blew a strand of raven hair away from her face. 'Mr. Captain of the Guard is an old acquaintance of ours.'

Corrin actually looked surprised – a look she didn't see on him often. 'Really?'

She nodded. 'We knew each other back at Shiz. He was Glinda's boyfriend back when we… left.'

Corrin faltered for a moment. 'Oh.'

She grinned at his obvious discomfort, adjusting her position in the chair so that she had both legs flung over one arm and was draped across it in a rather unladylike manner. 'They're over each other now, but that's not my point. My _point _is that he recognised us, especially me, almost immediately.' She gestured towards herself. 'The green is a bit hard to miss.'

He nodded, understanding. 'How much does he know?'

'Too much,' she admitted. 'He knew me back then, and he already pretty much suspected what Glinda and I had gone to do after defying the Wizard. Plus… he wants to get reacquainted.' She made a face. 'I put him to sleep with a spell, like I usually do with the others, but he might come and look for me now.'

Corrin studied her for a long time, and she shifted uncomfortably. 'What?'

He wiggled his fingers. 'Is there something… going on… between you and this new Captain of the Guard?'

Her eyes widened. 'What? No! Of course not!' She flushed a little, however, and he, of course, noticed – it was his job to notice everything, after all. 'Elphaba…'

'It's… complicated,' she conceded. 'I mean… I never liked him. Then there was this really awkward moment between us back at Shiz, and… and it's none of your business, really,' she burst out. 'Let's just say that it would be hard for me to go on doing what I'm doing here in the Emerald City when he's looking for me all over the place. And trust me – he _will _look for me.'

Corrin nodded slowly. 'What about Glinda?'

She hesitated. 'I didn't get the impression that he was looking for _her_, so much,' she said finally. 'He didn't even recognise her at first… I don't think he'll pose a problem to _her_.'

'Okay then.' He entwined his fingers and looked at her solemnly. 'Actually, I have just the perfect mission for you – something I was, in fact, already planning on asking you to do.'

She nodded eagerly. 'Please.'

'It's in Munchkinland,' he said, pulling out a map of Oz and pointing at it. 'The Munchkins are being oppressed and stripped of their rights… and they didn't have too many to begin with.'

Elphaba had a sinking feeling she knew where this was going. She'd heard news from back home, and she knew her sister. 'Let me guess. The Governess?'

Corrin nodded. 'Yes. Your father may have not been a great father, Elphaba, but he was a good Governor to his people. Nessarose, however…' He shook his head. 'Ever since Frexspar died and she got power, she's been abusing it. She's spinning out of control and this can't go on any longer, Elphaba.'

Her blood ran cold. 'You're not asking me what I think you're asking me, are you?' She knew the common procedure for people with power who were 'spinning out of control'. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, and with the Resistance, that was no different. If many people were oppressed by one person, that one person had to be eliminated.

'I'm asking you to-'

'No!' She leapt to her feet, eyes flaming. 'You can't ask that of me, Corrin. You can't ask me to kill my own sister! And I won't allow anyone else to, either! Please, don't do this!' she pleaded almost desperately. No matter how much of a spoiled brat Nessa could be, and no matter how awful she was to her people, she was still Elphaba's _sister_. She couldn't let Corrin do this.

He seemed shocked, however. 'I'm not asking you to kill your sister!' he hurriedly reassured her. 'Oz, Elphaba! I know I'm a leader and I sometimes have to make hard decisions, but I'm not a monster! Even if I would want to have her killed, I would never send you!'

'That's hardly reassuring,' she said sarcastically, and he shook his head and looked at her. 'Elphaba… I don't want to kill your sister. You know I don't,' he said gravely. 'But it can't go on this way. The Munchkins-'

'So what _do _you want to do?' she interrupted him a bit sharply, but he didn't seem to mind – he understood how she was feeling.

'I want you to talk to your sister,' he said simply. 'Try to reason with her. You're the only family she has left, and you took care of her when you were younger, didn't you? She'll listen to you.'

'I hope so,' muttered Elphaba under her breath, and Corrin locked his piercing blue eyes with hers. 'Elphaba… This is her final chance,' he told her earnestly. 'If this doesn't work, she _will _be eliminated.'

Elphaba slumped back into her chair, her new task heavy on her small shoulders. 'Fine,' she said tiredly. 'Send me to Munchkinland.'


	5. Chapter 5 Never Went Wrong

**AN: Yeah, I kind of liked 'Roses, Goat, milk!' myself :3. And BroadwayBoundStar: perhaps Glinda would indeed get away with that, too, but somehow I don't think she'd do something like that :P. (And oh, BlueD... xD I love that you actually did that. Your poor sister...)**

**Musicgal3: In this case, I went to Google translate and inserted 'consciousness' and 'sleep', translated those to Latin, and put them down with a few nonsensical words around them :D. That's what I usually do; borrow a few words from the spells from the musical, throw in some Latin words (even though I never had Latin at school) and some words I made up myself, and voilà. **

**LunaSibuna: I'm guessing that's because of the Gelphie friendship in here... is it? :) No matter what it is, though: thank you! **

**And a cliffie, because there wasn't a real one in this story so far. Unless you count the chapter 3 one, but come on, we all saw that coming, so I don't count it. **

* * *

**Chapter 5. Never Went Wrong**

'Boq, get back here _right this instant!_' the Governess screeched. He came running in immediately, slightly terrified of her. 'What is it, Madame?'

She glared at him. 'Where have you been?' she demanded. 'I haven't seen you in _forever_. I want you to keep me company!'

'Yes, Madame,' he replied dutifully, sitting himself down in a chair opposite her.

When he didn't say anything after that, she started glaring again. 'Say something!'

'What do you want me to say, Madame?'

'Drop the 'Madame'! I told you to call me Nessarose!' She wheeled herself forward and caught his hand. 'Boq… We've been together for such a long time now.'

'Three years and two hundred and sixty seven days, Madame.'

She looked at him in awe, tears in her eyes – she felt touched. 'You remembered how many days?' she whispered, dramatically clutching her chest with both hands. 'Oh, Boq… that's so sweet of you!'

He didn't say anything. The real reason he had started counting in the first place was because the day he got together with Nessa was the same day Glinda – still Galinda back then – had gotten together with that Vinkun Prince. With every passing day, he had lost a little bit of hope, though he never lost it completely; he was confident that she would one day see the light, break up with Fiyero, and get together with him, Boq, even though he was just a mere Munchkin.

Only that day never came. Instead, she went to the Emerald City with Elphaba… and she never returned.

He hadn't seen her since.

'Boq,' Nessa said, pulling him back into the present with her shrill, whiny voice. 'I know you care about me, and I care about you. Why do you keep resisting?'

'Miss Nessarose,' he said quietly. 'I'm sorry, but I don't love you and I never have.'

She pulled away, shocked. 'Wha- what?' she asked in a quivery voice, and he took a deep breath. It was now or never.

'Nessa,' he said, addressing her without an honorific for the first time in years. He kneeled down in front of her chair, looking into her eyes pleadingly. 'I'm sorry. You're a beautiful girl, you really are, and I really did like you back at Shiz. Just… not like that. I'm really sorry, but I've always loved Glinda.'

She bristled immediately, eyes blazing, as she violently moved away from him. 'Glinda?' she shrieked. 'You're out of your mind, Boq. You love me. You asked _me _to the dance, you're in love with _me_, and you're going to_ stay _with me until the day I die!'

'Nessarose-'

'No! I won't hear any of it!' she shouted. 'Get out of here! Get out of this room right now! I don't want to see you again until tomorrow!'

He ran from the room and she fell back in her chair, breathing heavily. How could he do this to her? She loved him, and she knew that he loved her, too. He just needed some convincing.

'Well,' suddenly a sarcastic voice came from… the wardrobe? 'It seems the beautiful only get more beautiful, while the green just get greener.'

Nessa yelped when suddenly, the wardrobe door opened and Elphaba poked her head out. 'Sorry. Did I scare you? I seem to have that effect on people.'

'You most certainly do,' Nessa sneered, at which Elphaba quirked an eyebrow at her sister. 'Gee, it's good to see you, too. It seems Glinda and I aren't the only… _hormonal_ ones at the moment.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' Nessa wanted to know, and Elphaba sniggered. 'Nothing.' She stepped out of the closet entirely and closed the door behind her. 'It's good to see you.'

'I wish I could say the same,' Nessa muttered under her breath, and Elphaba frowned. 'Nessa…'

'Don't.' The girl held up one hand. 'Just don't. Do you realise what you've done? You brought shame and disgrace upon our family – even more so than you already had _before _you decided to become a wanted fugitive. You murdered our father! He died of shame, because of what you did!'

'That's not true, Nessa, and you know it.'

'Is too!' Nessa crossed her arms and glared at her sister, looking like the stubborn five-year-old she had once been. 'And now you want my help, don't you? Now, after abandoning me and disgracing me, you suddenly come back begging me to help you? Well, I won't. I won't help you! I hate you!'

'Nessa!' the green girl interrupted her. Nessarose glared at her sister once more. 'What?' she snapped.

'I didn't come to ask for your help.'

The girl seemed surprised at that. 'You didn't?'

Elphaba shook her head. 'Nessa… I came to talk to you about the oppression of the Munchkins.'

Nessa immediately stiffened. 'In that case there's nothing to say,' she declared. 'I'm keeping Boq here, and that's the end of it.'

Elphaba arched an eyebrow, sitting herself down on the arm of a chair. 'Is that what this is all about? Keeping Boq here?'

'Yes.' Nessa raised her chin defiantly. 'I love him, and he'd better love me back.'

'But he doesn't,' pointed out Elphaba, which earned her yet another glare from her little sister. 'He will, in time.'

Elphaba kneeled down before Nessa's chair, much like Boq had only a short while ago. 'Nessie,' she said pleadingly. 'Please listen to me. This can't go on any longer, and you know it. You can't just strip the Munchkins of all their rights without consequences!'

'What do you know about the consequences?' snarled Nessa, and Elphaba's eyes flared. 'More than you'd think,' she said darkly. 'I'm here to warn you, Nessa. What you're doing is wrong and it can't go on. Sooner or later, it will end badly for you, and I don't want that. You're my sister, I love you, but I can't protect you from everything.'

Nessa pulled away. 'You don't have to! Why did you even come back? Why do you even _care_? I don't love you, I hate you! You left me!' she screeched. 'You left me and it's your fault that father died, just as it was your fault that mother died and that I was born crippled! You're an abomination, a disgrace to our family! Why should I listen to you?'

'Because you'll die if you don't!' Elphaba snapped. Nessa fell silent, blinking up at her with confused hazel eyes and a frown on her face. 'What?'

The dark-haired witch sighed. 'I can't tell you everything, Nessa,' she said quietly. 'Just believe me when I say that you'll regret it if you don't listen to me.'

Nessa pondered over that for a moment, then nodded slowly. 'You're right.'

Elphaba blinked in surprise. 'I am?' She knew she was, of course, but she'd never expected Nessa to admit it that easily. The girl may be small and fragile, but she could be just as stubborn as Elphaba herself was at times.

'You are,' said Nessa. She turned her chair around. 'It's late. Why don't you stay over and we'll talk in the morning?'

'Really?' Elphaba frowned a little, hesitant to trust her sister, before calling herself to order.

She was ashamed of her own thoughts when she realised their implications. She was _hesitant _to trust her own _sister_. With a pang, she realised just how much she had changed in the past few years. It was as she'd told Fiyero – she didn't trust anyone anymore but Corrin and Glinda… but this was her _sister_. This was Nessarose, little Nessie whom she had always cared for, whom she had comforted whenever she was sad, whom she had wheeled around, taking her everywhere she wanted to go…

She had changed, but had she really changed that much? Was she now distrusting even her own _family_?

No, she decided. She didn't want to be like that. She wasn't that cold and she wasn't that heartless. She loved Nessa, and despite her sister's words, she knew Nessa loved her, too.

'That's fine, Nessie,' she said finally, managing a smile. Nessa nodded. 'I'll have someone show you a room to stay in.'

* * *

Elphaba tentatively sat down on the bed. The mattress was so soft that she sunk into it immediately, and a soft gasp escaped her lips. She hadn't slept in a bed this comfortable in… well, in two years.

Mostly, she stayed in small, sloppy houses at the outskirts of towns, usually sharing a room with Glinda. The beds would be hard, uncomfortable cots that the two girls sometimes even had to share – something Glinda always complained an awful lot about. 'Elphie,' she would whine, 'can't you just sleep on the floor?' Elphaba always flatly refused, of course – even though she wasn't too fond of that arrangement herself, she rather slept in a bed with Glinda than on the cold, hard floor.

Sometimes, she'd spend the night with one of her targets, too. What she had told Fiyero was true – she'd never _slept_ with any of them. She refused to. It had been horrible just _kissing _those men at first, especially since she'd never kissed anyone before; she'd once dreamed about her first one being Fiyero, but of course, that could never be. Instead, she got her first kiss from the mayor of a town in Gillikin, from whom she had had to steal some letters – correspondence between him and the mayor of the Emerald City. The kiss hadn't meant anything and it hadn't felt special, either. Even that first time, she'd considered it something she had to do – unpleasant, but part of the job. By now, that's what she considered every kiss, every touch, and every seductive word that passed her lips: just part of the job. Nothing more, nothing less.

So she _had _stayed over at their places, sometimes, and their beds would be comfortable and soft; but usually, her staying over served a bigger purpose. She usually had to rouse herself in the middle of the night to creep around the house, sneak out of it, or to commit a murder; but it had been a long, long while since she had slept in a bed this big and soft, and could sleep through the whole night, too.

She let herself bounce on the bed a few times, a small smile slowly creeping onto her face. The little girl inside of her, whom she had always hidden away, suddenly bubbled to the surface; and since no one could see the green girl now, she decided to just give in. She kicked off her shoes, ran up towards the bed and then jumped onto it, bouncing up and down. She laughed as she launched herself into the air time after time, just having childish fun for the first time in years.

It took a while before she finally let herself drop down onto the bed. She stared at the ceiling, a grin spreading across her face. Sometimes she missed this – just doing whatever she wanted, acting childish and loose and carefree.

She sighed, then crawled under the blankets, shutting her eyes. She had made her choice two years ago, and she was still happy with it. Right now, that very same decision allowed her to save her sister's life.

She just hoped that Nessa would listen.

* * *

After her sister had left the room with one of Nessa's servants, the younger girl waited a little while longer, intently listening if she could hear anything. When finally, she had convinced herself that Elphaba was out of earshot, she rang her small silver bell again and a maid came running in. 'Yes, Madame Governess?'

She lowered her voice, her eyes burning with intensity as she looked at the maid. 'Run to town immediately,' she instructed quietly, but firmly, 'and find a member of the Gale Force.'

'The Ga-'

'I know there's a few of them in town right now,' Nessa interrupted the girl impatiently. 'They came here last week, to follow some kind of tip about Animals, I don't know… Just find them, as quickly as possible, and try not to let anyone see you. Don't tell anyone, just the Gale Force, what this is about.'

'Madame?' The maid shifted a bit uncomfortably, then asked boldly, 'What _is _this about? What do you want me to tell the Gale Force when I find them?'

Nessa looked up at her, eyes narrowed and filled with rage and hatred, but not directed at the girl standing in front of her. 'Tell them to come to the Governor's mansion immediately,' she replied, slowly, but clearly. Her eyes briefly flickered towards the stairs in the hallway for a moment, as if Elphaba would appear from the hallway any moment. She didn't, of course, and Nessa looked back at the maid, setting her jaw.

'Tell them the Wicked Witch of the West is staying in my house for them to come and capture.'

* * *

**Yep. Since Nessa is nice in Shadows, and wasn't too bad in my other stories, either (save for Sometimes she wishes she was never born), I decided to make her a *** in this one :D. And trust me, it won't be pretty. Mwahahaha.**


	6. Chapter 6 To The Rescue

**AN: So...**

**BlueD: That review just made me laugh :D.**

**Musicgal: Thanks! :) And again, that was my favourite line, too! I really, really love your reviews - every one of your reviews, on every one of my stories. They always make me smile :). (Or laugh out loud, which was kinda awkward since my sister was looking at me like, 'um...' but hey, who cares?)**

**Happy3611: Yes, I know who you are :P. And yes, I kinda liked those lines myself. :)**

**Elphaba-WWW: ...You're scaring me. Was this update quick enough? Please tell me it was :O :P.**

**As you may or may not have noticed, I'm uploading shorter chapters for this story than I usually do for my other stories. (I actually count the words of each chapter. Normally, I want them to be something between 3.500 and 4.500 words long, but for this story, each chapter is on average somewhere in between 2.000 and 3.000 words long. Yup, I need a life.) It actually just started because I wrote the first chapter and I couldn't think of anything else to add, but I think it works better for me. Less happenings in one chapter, and more updates instead... I think I'm going to stick with shorter chapters from now on. (Not that you probably care much :P.)**

* * *

**Chapter 6. To The Rescue**

'You,' Elphaba spat, 'are not my sister! You're just a mean, cold-hearted bi-'

'You brought this upon yourself!' shrieked Nessa. 'If you had just stayed at the Emerald Palace and worked _with _the Wizard, instead of against him-'

'He was suppressing Animals!'

'And I'm suppressing Munchkins! Who cares?'

'I care!'

Nessa folded her arms, her eyes cold as she looked at her sister being restrained by the Gale Force soldiers. They had tied her arms behind her back and they were pricking guns in her side to prevent her from escaping. She didn't struggle, but her eyes were burning and Nessa recoiled a little upon seeing the fervent look in them. Never, ever before had she seen that particular look, so full of rage, directed at her – it was a look Elphaba usually reserved for the kids back at school who had dared to make fun of Nessa. The wheelchair-bound girl felt a pang at the memory of her older sister sticking up for her whenever kids were mean to her, but she quickly shook that off. It was as she had said: Elphaba had brought this upon herself and she deserved this.

'That's where you went wrong,' said Nessa coldly. 'You care too much about things that don't matter all that much. You've thrown everything away, and now you dare coming back here? I don't think so.' She raised her chin defiantly. 'After what you've done, you're not welcome here anymore,' she declared. 'You're no longer a part of this family.'

'Suit yourself,' hissed Elphaba. 'I never was a part of this family in the first place!' She started struggling, but froze when she felt the guns of the guards poking in her side. 'I was trying to protect you, Nessa!'

Nessa snorted. 'Please. As if anyone would ever be brave enough to do something to me! What are you expecting, that a house will come falling from the sky to crush me?'

'Not necessarily,' said Elphaba. She sighed when she looked at her sister. 'You know? When I heard about what happened to father, and what you were doing… I blamed his death. I thought you were grieving. But I was convinced that somewhere deep down, you were still that same little Nessarose that used to love me and whom I always took care of. The girl that was afraid of thunderstorms and that loved nothing more than me telling her stories. What happened to that girl, Nessa?'

'She never existed,' Nessa spat. 'I never loved you, Elphaba.' She didn't pull a muscle as she looked her sister straight in the eyes and asked simply, coldly, 'How could anyone possibly love a mistake?'

Elphaba's eyes narrowed. It hurt, to hear her sister say that, but she would never let that on.

'You know what?' she said instead, as calmly as possible. 'I was wrong about you. You're not my sister anymore – you've changed too much.' She shook her head. 'I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Nessa, but I think you're beyond saving now.'

Nessa's face had slowly grown purple with rage, and now, she pointed a trembling finger towards the front door. 'Take her away!' she screeched, and the soldiers grabbed the green girl and dragged her outside.

Elphaba started to mutter a spell under her breath – the one that could melt metal – but one of the guards punched her in the stomach, causing her to double over in pain. 'Shut up, witch,' he growled, pulling out a piece of fabric, gagging her.

'We're taking you to a prison cell in Munchkin City,' he told her cheerfully. 'Someone already contacted Madame Morrible, and she will come over to see what she's going to do with you.' He smirked. 'I'm sure she will be very happy to see you.'

* * *

'Corrin, Corrin!' Glinda stormed into the room. The Leader of the Resistance looked up from his paperwork and sighed. 'Really, what's the point of a secret password if no one ever uses it?' he asked of no one in particular.

Glinda made an impatient gesture and slammed the door shut behind her, her face worried. 'Elphie's been captured.'

Corrin immediately grew serious. 'I know.' He rummaged through some paperwork, apparently looking for something. 'It turns out that her sister wasn't nearly as cooperative as we hoped she'd be.'

Glinda gasped. '_Nessa _turned her in?!'

He nodded gravely. 'I have the documents right here. The Gale Force reports that they have been warned by a servant of Madame Governess's, and she herself has made sure that Elphaba was escorted towards Munchkin City by the Gale Force. She's currently in prison there, awaiting trial.'

'Trial?' repeated Glinda sceptically, and Corrin looked up at her. 'Madame Morrible is on her way there right now.'

The blonde's eyes widened. 'Then we have to get there first!'

Again, he nodded. 'My thoughts exactly.' He leaned over his desk. 'Do you by any chance know how to fly Elphaba's broom?'

She bit her lip, then nodded. 'I do. But the one she usually flies is in Munchkinland right now.'

'She has another one, doesn't she?'

'She does,' Glinda admitted, 'but that one is a bit… um… unpredictable.'

Corrin quirked an eyebrow at her.

'Not all brooms are the same!' the blonde defended herself. 'I'm not sure if I can fly the one she left behind – I've never tried that one before!'

Corrin chewed his lip. 'Do you have any other means of transport at your disposal with which you can get to Munchkin City within four days? Because that's how long it will take for Morrible to get there.'

'Four days…' Glinda mused. Suddenly, she perked up. 'I have just the thing!'

* * *

'A bubble?'

Corrin and Glinda were in a field just outside the Emerald City, from where Glinda would take off towards Munchkinland. She was currently soaring just above the grass in a huge, pink and blue shimmering bubble.

'Isn't it perfect?' Glinda beamed. 'I don't have to sit on an uncomfortable stick that makes my… _behind _hurt, but I can still fly. Granted, it's not exactly as fast as a broom would be, but it's still pretty fast – much faster than any non-magical transportation device could ever be.'

Corrin shrugged. 'If you say so…'

She landed and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. 'I'll be back,' she promised him. 'With Elphie.'

He kissed her back, tangling a hand in her long golden hair for a moment before briefly brushing his nose against hers, looking into her eyes. 'Be careful.'

'You know me,' she said perkily. 'I'm always careful!' Upon seeing the sceptical expression on his handsome face, she scowled. 'Well… I'm more careful than Elphie, anyway,' she muttered, and he laughed. 'Now _that _much is true.' He kissed her again, and then she conjured up her bubble again and slowly rose into the air. He watched her go up, higher and higher; she waved at him, he waved back, and then she flew off in the direction of Munchkinland.

* * *

'Where is the Witch of the North hiding?' the guard yelled, holding her in his iron grip. She wriggled in discomfort. 'I don't know!'

'I don't believe you.' He twisted her arm behind her back and she hissed in pain. 'Then at least tell me the location of the Resistance headquarters.'

'Never,' she spat, and he twisted her arm harder, making her whimper softly. 'Any Animal hideouts we should know about?'

'None,' she said, gritting her teeth, and he pressed her arm down. She fell to the floor, biting her lip hard in an attempt not to cry out; but when he twisted her arm even further and she could hear the bones making a grinding sound as they grated against each other, she couldn't hold it in anymore and she yelped in pain. The guard smirked and threw her down to the floor. 'I'm sorry, Miss Witch, did I hurt you?'

She glared at him and he laughed as he slammed the door of her cell shut. She retreated into a corner, hugging her legs to her body.

She knew what would happen next. They'd told her that Morrible would come, and once she got here, that would _not _be pretty. Of course she wasn't just going to sit around and wait for that to happen; the moment she'd been left alone in her cell, she'd pulled her hairpin from her long raven tresses and started to pick the lock, but it was a pretty advanced one and she couldn't get it to open. She also tried the metal melting spell, but unfortunately for her, it didn't work – the bars were too thick. Despite what some people might think, magic couldn't solve everything and it wasn't almighty.

She gently rubbed her sore arm, trying to think of a way to escape this prison cell. She was a high Resistance member and a supposed Wicked Witch – this should be a piece of cake to her. She had been trained in several ways and she knew her magic, but as she had concluded before, magic was, like everything else, limited. To perform more complicated spells – like one that could get her out of this mess – she'd need to not only say the words of the spell, but also to perform a ritual. Had she had a magic book with her, the ritual would have been described in it, but she'd left the Grimmerie where she had hidden it back in the Emerald City and she didn't know any of the rituals by heart – none that would do her any good in this situation, anyway.

She sighed and leaned her head back against the rough wall. She knew Corrin would probably send Glinda to come and rescue her, but she didn't want to wait for that. If she could manage to escape on her own before Glinda got here, at least her blonde friend wouldn't be in danger – she hated the thought of Glinda endangering herself because Elphaba had been stupid.

Because that's what it had been, really. She had been stupid. Gullible and naïve and altogether stupid. She should never have trusted Nessa. She knew how manipulative the other girl could be, how mean and back-stabbing, even though that particular trait had never been directed at _her _before; but she supposed there was a first for everything. She loathed herself for walking into Nessa's trap with wide open eyes.

She sighed and rose to her feet again, cringing slightly when she leaned on her right arm. Ah well, it would heal – she'd been through worse. The only unfortunate thing was that the arm he had twisted also happened to be the arm she had broken two years before, when she and Glinda had crashed into that rock after fleeing the Emerald City. The injury had healed, but it had always remained a sensitive spot and it hurt now.

But she'd live. She'd be fine. Her arm was the least of her problems right now.

She cocked her head and started to study her cell, looking for a possible way out.

* * *

'Hey, Captain!' Fiyero looked up to find one of his colleagues from the Gale Force approaching him. 'Have you heard yet?'

'Heard what?' Fiyero called back, walking over to the man, who conspiratorially leaned towards him. 'My brother – you know, the one that's also working for the Gale Force - is in Munchkin City right now,' the man said in a low voice. 'I received a letter from him yesterday – by express post. He says they've captured the Wicked Witch of the West!' He shook his head. 'Can you believe it? Apparently, she went to talk to the Governess – did you know Nessarose Thropp is her sister? Anyway, the Governess secretly called for the Gale Force to come and they managed to arrest the witch. Madame Governess was quite pleased with it, especially with the reward she received for turning in the witch, and my brother said they're keeping her locked up now – the witch, obviously, not the Governess – until Morrible gets there, she's supposed to go and take care of the trial. My brother says the witch's skin is as green as the Emerald City. I don't believe a thing of that, of course – I think he's just trying to show off, bragging, but still, if any of it were to be true… hey, where are you going?'

'Sorry!' he called over his shoulder. 'I- I have to go!' He hurried towards his house, his heart pounding in his chest as he slammed the door shut behind him and leaned heavily against it.

_Elphaba had been captured._

He had to do something. Perhaps he could make a few calls, send a few letters per express post… he _was _the Captain, after all. He had power over his men. But then again… he didn't have much power against Morrible. If only there was another way…

Suddenly, the idea struck him and he ran inside, excited now. Hopefully it wouldn't be too late.

* * *

Glinda made the journey in about two days, reaching Munchkin City at nightfall the second day. She landed gracefully and hid in the shadows, slowly sneaking up towards the city prisons, hiding around corners and in dark niches until she reached the building. She crept closer, using some bushes and a fence for cover. She could see the door; there was no one outside, but there would probably be guards _inside _the prison. If she picked the lock and took out any guards inside the building before they could call for help, she'd be able to get Elphie out and be halfway back to the Emerald City before anyone even noticed the witch had escaped.

Satisfied with her plan, she snuck even closer. She wished she knew how many guards exactly were inside, but she didn't; she'd just have to improvise. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for the mission at hand…

…when suddenly, a large hand covered her mouth and a strong arm pulled her back into the bushes.

* * *

**Yay for cliffies! Please review! (It's actually true that they make me write faster! ^_^)**


	7. Chapter 7 Hardest Profession

**AN: Yeah, most of you already guessed it. I didn't expect anything less from you ;). So that wasn't too bad a cliffie... don't worry, awful cliffies will come along in time *smirk*.**

**LunaSibuna: I don't know why you love Fiyeraba fics when you're a Gelphie shipper :P. I'll try to put some Gelphie friendship fluff into the next chapter, okay? Because you gave me a virtual cupcake :3.**

**Musicgal3: Then let's keep on making each other happy! :D (Okay... that sounded só wrong xD. Not like that, people, it's not what it looks like! :P)**

**Fae Tiggular: ... one of the lines in this chapter is for you. You'll see which one.**

**Also, does any of you know where this chapter's title comes from? It's a line out of a musical song - anyone know it? Virtual cookies if you do :).**

* * *

**Chapter 7. Hardest Profession In The World**

Glinda struggled for a moment in blind panic before her common sense returned. Then she bit the man's hand – hard – while simultaneously lowering her heel on his foot. He let out an 'Oomph' and she twisted him around, holding him in a death grip. 'Who are you and what are you doing here?'

He whimpered softly. 'Glin, it's me!'

Upon hearing his voice, she was so surprised that she let go. 'Fiyero?'

He grimaced, holding up his hand – the blood was dripping down from it. 'Oz, Glinda, you have sharp teeth.'

She sniffed. 'It's your own fault. What were you thinking, sneaking up on me like that? How did you even get here?'

'Horse,' came his simple reply. 'Morrible is travelling in a carriage, so she's slower. I went on non-stop, through two nights.'

She narrowed her eyes at him. 'Why?'

'Elphaba has been captured,' he said, and she rolled her eyes. 'Nooooo. Has she? Oh my Oz, what should we do now?' she said sarcastically. 'Oh, wait, I know – let's send the brainless Captain of the Guard to go and rescue her! Because he is _so _trustworthy and he has _so _much experience with these kinds of situations-'

'I get it, okay?' he snapped, brushing twigs and leaves off his uniform. 'So I'm supposing the Resistance sent you to rescue her, then?'

She raised her chin. 'Even if they hadn't, I would still have come. Elphie is my best friend.'

He huffed. 'Sure. Whatever. You're a girl, Glin. No offense, but the Glinda I knew back at Shiz would never succeed in rescuing _anyone_.'

Her eyes narrowed even further. 'Well, good thing I'm not that girl anymore then, huh?' she said in a dangerously low voice. 'You can't just come here and pretend nothing's changed, Fiyero. _Everything_ has changed. For the record: I have a new boyfriend now.'

'I know. Elphaba told me.'

She sighed. 'Look, Fifi…' He cringed at the old nickname, but she didn't even notice. 'I'm really sorry about what happened two years ago,' she said quietly. 'I just left you, and I felt awful about it, but I didn't have a choice. I couldn't let Elphie fly off by herself.'

'I know. I understand.'

She nodded and gave him a half-hearted smile. 'Okay. Good.' She elbowed him in the stomach good-naturedly. 'And besides, I'm betting that you found yourself a new girlfriend as well, didn't you? You were always the scandalacious playboy prince.'

He flushed a little. 'No… No, I haven't really dated anyone since you.'

She was stunned. 'You haven't?'

He shook his head and she eyed him up and down, one eyebrow raised. 'Why in Oz not?'

He shook his head again, frustrated. 'Honestly? I'm not sure,' he said. 'I guess it's… complicated.'

She took him in a little bit longer before dismissing it. 'Whatever. Why am I having a conversation with you here in the bushes? I've got a friend to save.' She patted his arm. 'Stay here and try not to cause any trouble.'

'Glinda, you can't do this!' he protested. 'You'll get yourself killed! No offense, but no matter how much time you've spent in the Resistance, I don't think you can do this, Glin.'

She sent a death glare in his direction. 'Watch me.'

* * *

Elphaba crept through Munchkin City, silently cursing the guards for having left her broom back at the Governor's mansion. Now she had to steal a horse, and she didn't like stealing unless it was absolutely necessary.

She made her way towards Nessa's mansion quickly, easily reaching it within a few hours. She left the horse tied to a fence – someone would find him in the morning – and snuck inside the house, creeping through the kitchen window and towards the hallway, where she found her broom. She was just making her way back to the kitchen when there was a soft rustling sound behind her and she whipped around.

It was Boq. He was standing in the doorway, gaping at her with wide eyes. 'You!'

'Ssh!' she shushed him. She glanced around the hall, assuring herself that there was no one else there, before pulling Boq into the kitchen with her and closing the door behind her.

She turned to face him. 'Boq… I'm sorry for what Nessa did to you,' she said sincerely. 'I really am. But I promise you it will stop soon.'

He nodded, not saying anything, just taking her in for a few moments. Then he asked in a slightly trembling voice, 'Is Glinda with you?'

She shook her head. 'Not now. But we are still working together.'

A tiny smile graced his lips when he thought of the popular bubbly blonde. 'How is she?'

'She's…' Elphaba paused. 'She's fine,' she said finally, a bit hesitantly. 'I mean, she's perfect, actually, but… Boq, um… I'm not sure how to say this… but she has a boyfriend.'

He simply nodded. 'Fiyero?'

She shook her head. 'Another man.'

'Is he good to her?'

She almost laughed at him for his sentimentality, but she kept her emotions in check and her face straight. He had always been quite the romantic, and she did feel bad for him – he'd been stuck here with _Nessa _for two years. She couldn't really blame him for acting sappy. 'He's an amazing fellow,' she assured him. 'He truly loves her and he treats her like a princess.'

Boq's smile became more genuine now. 'Good,' he said softly. 'She deserves that.' He took a deep breath. 'I know we'll never be together,' he said. 'But it's good to know that she's happy.'

Elphaba looked at him. 'She is.'

He nodded again. 'Okay.' Then he gestured towards the kitchen window, suddenly looking tired. 'You'd better get going, before anyone else comes down.'

She eyed him warily. 'You're not going to tell anyone I was here?' She didn't trust him. Perhaps she would have, before, but after what happened with Nessa, she was just convinced even further that she couldn't trust anyone anymore.

He shook his head slowly. 'Tell Glinda I said hi,' was the only thing he said before quietly leaving the kitchen, and she clambered out of the window and took off on her broom, back towards the Emerald City.

* * *

Glinda took a deep breath, positioned herself and then kicked open the door, storming inside the prison building with her wand threateningly poking forward. 'Hi-jah!' she yelled. 'Let the green girl go!'

She was met with silence.

She blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the light in the room. Only then did she realise that there were indeed two guards there, but that they were lying on the floor unconscious. She hopped over them and through another door, to where the actual prison cells were, but they were all empty. Then she noticed that one of the cell doors was askew in its hinges. There were some scorch marks on the wall next to it and one of the hinges looked as if it had been worked with something hot – it almost seemed melted.

Melted. Of course.

Glinda sighed, slightly disappointed. She always rather enjoyed rescue missions; it was just a great feeling to know that she was saving someone from a horrible fate. But she should have known that Elphaba wouldn't need saving at all.

Huffing a little, she made her way back outside, careful to leave everything the way she had found it. The moment she stepped outside, Fiyero shot up from the bushes. 'Where is she? What happened? Did you find her?'

She glared at him. 'She already escaped,' was all she said on the subject. She raised her eyebrows when she saw that he had brought a gun. 'You thought you could gun down who-knows-how-many guards by yourself in an attempt to get her out of that prison?' She sniffed. 'Pathetic.'

He frowned at her. 'A gun can always come in handy.'

'Why don't you take that gun and shove it up your a-'

'_Glinda_!'

She swallowed the rest of her words. 'Fiyero,' she said instead, tiredly rubbing her forehead. 'Please leave.'

'But-'

'Listen to me.' She looked at him solemnly. 'Elphie and I are fine. More than fine,' she corrected herself. 'We're perfect. Elphie is doing what she always wanted to do – saving Animals, doing good things to change Oz for the better – and she's happy doing that. I have Corrin and Elphie by my side, so I'm happy, too. We're both happy. Very happy. Couldn't be happier. So why do you have to come along and spoil it all?'

'What?' he seemed genuinely taken aback. 'I never meant to-'

'But you are,' she said simply. 'You've endangered all of us by coming here today. What makes you think you have a right to save her, in the first place?' she wanted to know. 'We haven't seen you in two years, and even before that, you and Elphie were never particularly close.'

'But the other day, when you were on that mission, Elphaba agreed to come to my house and we talked and-'

'And then she magic-spelled you to sleep and we stole the map of the Palace we needed,' Glinda finished that sentence. 'That was all there was to it. It was a job, Fiyero. With us all being old acquaintances, she couldn't very well seduce you, so she settled for a conversation instead. We improvise sometimes, she improvised back then, and it worked. You don't mean anything to her – not more than all of our other targets – so don't try and pretend that you do.'

He stayed silent, and she conjured up her bubble. 'Take your horse and ride back to the Vinkus, Fiyero,' she advised him as she floated upwards. 'Find a job you like, marry a woman, found a family – I don't know. Do whatever makes you happy, but _please _stop stalking Elphie and me.'

And with that, she flew off, leaving him behind in bewilderment.

* * *

'Elphie!' Glinda gushed as she landed her bubble on the grass and found Corrin and Elphaba already waiting for her. She made the bubble pop and hurried over to her friend, hugging her. 'I'm so glad you're okay! How did you escape?'

'Metal melting spell,' said Elphaba. She gave Glinda a lopsided grin. 'First I thought I couldn't use it, because the bars were too thick, but then I realised that while it might not work on the bars themselves, it might just work on the hinges. And it did.'

'And the guards…'

'I knocked them out with a stray bar I found in one of the empty cells.'

Glinda squealed and hugged her again. 'That's my Elphie!'

Elphaba just rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

'I can't believe Nessa would do such a thing to you,' Glinda continued, growing angry. 'Who does she think she is?'

'The Governess of Munchkinland?' suggested Elphaba drily. Glinda glared at her. 'That was rhetorical, Elphie.'

'Do you even know what that word means?' her friend teased her, and Glinda stuck out her tongue. 'Don't make me regret coming to your rescue!'

Elphaba sniggered. 'I got out myself, remember?'

Glinda sighed as the three of them walked back to the Resistance headquarters together. 'I wish I'd known that. It would have spared me an awfully long trip in a bubble and an incredibly awkward conversation with someone I had hoped I would never see again.'

'You're going to have to tell me about that bubble thing later,' said Elphaba, grinning slightly. 'But who did you encounter?'

Glinda made a face. 'Fiyero.'

Elphaba stopped dead in her tracks. 'What?'

'He went to Munchkinland,' said Glinda, rolling her eyes. 'To rescue you. He nearly scared me to death when he suddenly came out, but I paid him back for it.' She grinned wickedly at the memory of her tooth marks in his hand. 'And then I sent him back home, but I don't think that's where he'll be going. He'll probably be back.'

Elphaba groaned, making Glinda giggle. 'Great,' the dark-haired witch muttered. 'Just great. Now he's not only stalking me around the City, he's following me to Munchkinland as well! What in Oz is he doing?'

Glinda shrugged. 'I don't know. Perhaps he's in love with you or something.'

Elphaba snorted. 'Yeah, right. He's probably just lost it and turned into a creepy stalker.' She titled her head slightly to the side, thoughtful. 'Or perhaps he always was one and just hid it well when we were at Shiz.'

Glinda giggled.

They entered the building and followed Corrin up to his room, where they all sat down, immediately growing serious again.

'Elphaba,' said Corrin gravely, folding his hands together. 'Since this mission has failed…'

The green girl snorted again. 'You could say that.'

'…and Nessarose will probably not change anything about her policies…' Corrin looked at her regretfully. 'You know what I have to do now, don't you?'

Elphaba was silent for a while. She knew. She also knew he couldn't just make an exception for Nessa, just because she was her sister; every person they had to kill had siblings or parents, children or partners, friends… sometimes it just had to be done. And after the way Nessa had treated her, had betrayed her… part of Elphaba wanted to strangle her herself – with her bare hands.

But she was still her younger sister. The girl in the wheelchair that couldn't take part in the other children's games. The girl she had always taken care of. 'Corrin…' She looked defeated – a look he had never seen on her before. 'Is there really no other way?'

He shook his head sadly. 'I'm really sorry, Elphaba… but it has to be done. It is like I have said before: it can't go on like this any longer. There are other important Resistance members who have been pressuring me for a while now to just make the decision and eliminate the Governess, but I always tried to hold it back – for you. And I wanted to give you a chance to make things right with her again, to save her life… but since that didn't work, I don't really have a choice.'

Elphaba looked down at her hands. 'I failed her,' she said quietly. 'Again. It's my fault…'

'Elphie, no!' protested Glinda, and Corrin looked at the green woman sitting across from him with sympathy in his bright blue eyes. Ever since he had met her, he had been impressed by her, in a certain way; she wasn't like any other woman he knew. She was fierce and passionate, wild and controlled at the same time. There were certain causes – and persons – she would die for if need be, while she didn't seem to care about most other things. She was always cautious and distant, often sarcastic and sometimes grumpy, but she stood firmly for what she believed in and she was one of the best in her profession. She was like a sister to him. And in all this time since he knew her, he had never, ever, not once, seen her show any emotion that even remotely resembled defeat.

She had never really opened up to him. Not the way she had to Glinda. He didn't know everything about her past or what she had been through, what her childhood had been like or how her life had gone when she had gone to university and met Glinda. Sometimes he could see a certain sadness in her eyes, but the moment she caught him looking, her frown would return and that small trace of emotion in her eyes would be shielded again. She was good at that – shielding herself. He could never really read what was going on inside her head. All he knew was that she never cried, never let on that she was hurt, never showed any sign of weakness… and never showed defeat.

Now, he was a little unnerved at the look in her dark chocolate brown eyes. 'Elphaba…'

'Don't,' she said, holding up one hand to stop him from saying anything else. 'I know. I know you have to do it. I don't blame you.' Quietly, she rose to her feet. 'I think I'm going home.'

And with that, she left.


	8. Chapter 8 Woman On A Mission

**AN: Soooo... Sucky Fiyeraba so far, eh? Well, this chapter will help things along a little... though perhaps this is a case of 'it gets worse before it gets better'. Only after it gets better it gets worse again. You know me :). You'll all like the next chapter, though - it'll be up soon. (Yes, BlueD, of course I have a Fiyeraba plan ^_^.)**

**Elphiesglinda: Yep. I know :D.**

**Fae Tiggular: Virtual cupcakes with pink and green sprinkles. Here you go. Om nom nom. And DON'T CALL ME MADDEH ;_; now I know how Elphaba feels with Glin calling her 'Elphie' all the time :P. And OMG, now my brain has made a connection. Any of you watch iCarly? Gibby? 'Gibbeh'? NOW I HATE BEING CALLED MADDEH EVEN MORE WHAAAAAH.**

**Musicgalgirl: Blame Fae Tiggular for Glinda's 'let the green girl go'-line. :P**

**Jaida857: Thank you so much! Your review made my day :).**

**No virtual cookies for any of you (don't you guys like cookies? I would've understood the lack of responses better had I offered you virtual _pie_... heheh) since no one guessed last chapter's title... it was from the musical Fame, the song Hard Work, in case anyone's interested :P.**

* * *

**Chapter 8. Woman On A Mission**

She was still quieter than usual when she made her way over to Corrin's office again, a few days later. She quietly said the password and she quietly went in, before quietly sitting down. Corrin had never known her as being quiet, so he was a little bit worried. 'Are you okay?'

'Of course,' she snapped – to hide her grief, he knew. 'Get down to business.'

He complied. 'It's about your sister.'

Elphaba winced slightly – barely noticeable, but Corrin's trained eye picked it up. He didn't comment on it, though. 'She's been kidnapped.'

The young witch blinked at him. 'Kidnapped? By the Resistance?' That didn't make any sense.

He shook his head. 'Not by the Resistance,' he said. 'We don't know by whom, but the timing is rather… suspicious.'

She immediately understood his meaning and her dark eyes flamed. 'Don't you dare blame this on me,' she hissed. 'I didn't do it, Corrin. No matter how much it hurts for me to lose my sister, I know better than to oppose the Resistance in any way.'

'I know you do.' He sighed. 'It's just… strange.'

She nodded. 'I agree.'

He shook his head. 'Never mind, then. I'll have someone figure it out. Right now, I need you and Glinda to go shopping.'

She bristled. '_What_?!'

He chuckled at her reaction. 'You two,' he announced proudly, 'are going to a ball in the Emerald Palace tonight.'

'Why?'

'To try and seduce,' he placed a picture on his desk before her, '_this _man.'

Elphaba studied the picture. He was a middle-aged man with his greying brown hair slicked back, his chin raised, and his eyes arrogant. She knew in an instant that this man wouldn't be as easy to woo as the others had been. 'A challenge, isn't it?'

Corrin smiled knowingly. 'I'd like to see how you go about it.'

She nodded and gave him back the picture. 'What's the goal?'

'There will be a seal ring in his left inside pocket.' Corrin put the picture away. 'I want you to steal it. But be careful – if you get caught… this man has a lot of power.'

'Who is he?' asked Elphaba, storing the information away for later. Corrin pursed his lips. 'The Wizard's head councillor.'

The witch whistled. 'A challenge indeed. I'll see what I can do.'

'Make sure that you're the one seducing him, not Glinda,' said Corrin, and Elphaba flashed him a grin. 'Are we getting jealous, _Corry_?'

He cringed at the nickname. '_No_,' he said defiantly. 'This man just likes exotic women – he'll probably let you seduce him sooner than he would Glinda.'

Elphaba smirked and rose to her feet, patting his head. 'Keep telling yourself that, Corrin.' With that, she left the room.

He grimaced. Ah, well. At least she was feeling better.

* * *

'I just don't understand why anyone would want to kidnap Nessa,' said Elphaba for what must be the thousandth time as she and Glinda were trying on dresses. Glinda, of course, had immediately pounced on the opportunity to go dress shopping and she had dragged her friend into store after store to find them a ball gown for the evening, along with matching shoes and jewellery. Perhaps Fiyero had been right and they hadn't changed that much after all, Elphaba thought as she forced her poor feet in yet another pair of ridiculously high heels that, according to Glinda, matched _perfectly _with the gown she was wearing.

Glinda looked at her friend critically, lips pursed, before shaking her head. 'No. The dress is too dark, and you look like you might topple over any minute in those shoes.'

'I think I actually might,' said Elphaba, rolling her eyes, as she went back to the dressing room to try on yet another dress.

'And about Nessa,' called Glinda to her, 'I'm sure there's a good reason for it. I mean, she's the Governess of Munchkinland. The kidnappers probably think they can get ransom for her or something.'

Elphaba snorted. 'Then there's a surprise for them there. I don't think anyone will be willing to pay anything for Nessa – I bet the Munchkins are glad she's gone.'

Glinda giggled. 'You're right. Oh my Oz, Elphie!' she squealed when Elphaba came out of the dressing room. 'You should _so _buy that dress!'

The dress Elphaba was wearing was a deep crimson colour, with a halter top. It hugged her forms down to her hips, from where the skirt flowed down in several layers, and it had a high split. It was acceptable for a fancy ball like the one they'd be attending, but it was also slightly provocative – exactly the look Elphaba would need.

The green girl sighed. 'Sometimes I wonder why I took this job,' she muttered, changing out of the dress and buying it – along with the matching red high-heeled shoes. After two years, she still didn't feel comfortable flirting with strange men and wearing provocative clothes, but it was something she had gotten used to, and so she just did it. She tried not to think too much about it.

Glinda giggled. 'It's been good for you, you know. It certainly improved your fashion sense, and you've grown to be a little less… um… boring.'

Elphaba glared at her friend. 'Just because I liked reading and studying and hated parties, Glin, doesn't mean I was boring.'

'Um, _yes_, it does,' said Glinda as if that much should be clear. She paid for her own dress and took Elphaba out of the store. 'But now that you've loosened up a little, we're going to have so much fun!' she said in a sing-song voice, and Elphaba bounced up and down and squealed mockingly, 'Oh, yay!'

Glinda glared at her. 'I hate you, Elphaba Thropp,' she grumbled, and Elphaba laughed and linked her arm with Glinda's. 'Come on, Glin!' she said, mimicking Glinda almost perfectly. 'We're going to have _such _a swankified time!'

* * *

'Found him yet?' whispered Glinda. Elphaba sipped her cocktail and nodded subtly towards the other side of the ballroom. 'Right over there.'

'Need any help?'

'I don't think so.' The young with stirred her drink, eyes never leaving her target for more than a clock-tick. 'I've already talked to him before, to warm him up a little, and I don't think he's going to pose much of a problem. I'll be fine.'

'Okay.' Glinda giggled. 'Then I'll be with those hot guys over there.'

Elphaba quirked an eyebrow at her. 'Don't you have a boyfriend now?'

'That doesn't mean I can't flirt!' protested Glinda, before bouncing off. Elphaba rolled her eyes and wanted to get over to the head councillor to finish her job, but just then, her path was blocked by the one person in the world she most definitely did _not _want to see.

She heaved an irritated sigh. 'Don't you have anything better to do?'

Fiyero grinned at her. 'Nope.'

'Get away.' She pushed past him using her shoulder, but he called something after her that made her freeze on the spot. 'Found Nessa yet?'

Slowly, she turned around, eyes narrowed. 'What?'

He looked at her innocently. 'I heard she's been kidnapped.'

With three strides, she was in front of him again, so close that their noses were almost touching. Her eyes were flaring with anger. 'How do you know about that?' she demanded, and he shrugged. 'Oh… I have connections.'

Her eyes narrowed even further, changing them into small sparkling slits of chocolate. 'No one knows that Nessa has been kidnapped,' she hissed. 'No one but the Resistance and Nessa's closest staff. So how do _you _know?'

He shrugged nonchalantly. 'I don't know. Maybe because I did it?'

That took her aback. 'What?'

'You heard me.' His sapphire eyes were fixed on her, and though he was clearly still teasing her, it was obvious that he was being serious. 'I'm saying I kidnapped Nessa.'

'I don't believe you.'

'You don't have to.' He gazed at her. 'But I did. Or, well, had someone do it for me. I knew some people in the Vinkus who were willing to take her in and take care of her. She'll have to work in return, of course, but I think that would be good for her – nothing she can't handle, just handwork. She's safe.'

'That would be wonderful, if it were true.'

'It is,' he insisted. 'I swear it, on… on my grandmother's grave.'

She was perplexed. 'But… why?'

'So that she wouldn't get killed by the Resistance, of course,' he said, and she immediately grew suspicious again. 'How do you know about _that_?' she demanded, and he flashed her a grin. 'I saw Glinda at the bar again a few nights ago, and I fed her some cocktails.'

Elphaba moaned and buried her head in her hands. She knew what that meant. The blonde had consumed quite a lot of alcohol in her life, but her body still couldn't handle it. At all. She got tipsy after one glass and drunk after two, and when you fed her three glasses of the stuff, she'd tell you everything you wanted to know.

'So she told you about Nessa,' stated Elphaba quietly. 'And then you decided to kidnap my sister. Why? So that she wouldn't be murdered?'

He nodded and she shook her head. 'That doesn't make any sense. You didn't even like her that much back at Shiz.'

'True,' he said, his azure gaze intense. 'But I like _you _that much.'

She stared at him. 'What in Oz are you trying to say?'

He took a step forward. For once, she didn't step back. 'I did it for you, Elphaba,' he said, seemingly sincere. 'When Glinda told me that Nessa would be killed, and she said you were so hurt by it… I wanted to do something. I hoped that it would be enough for you to start trusting me, even a little, perhaps, and, well, also because I hate to see you get hurt in any way. I just hoped it would help… a little.'

'How do I know you're telling the truth?' she asked him, still wary, and he pulled something from the satchel he had with him. 'Does this help?'

She gasped softly when she recognised Nessa's jewelled shoes. 'Where did you…'

'I took them away from her,' he said simply. 'She won't need them in the Vinkus, and I needed something to prove to you that I'm telling you the truth.'

'Okay.' She took him in thoughtfully. 'I believe you.'

He exhaled slowly, relieved. 'Thank you.'

'So what do you want from me?'

He frowned again. 'What makes you think I want something from you?'

She rolled her eyes. 'Oh, please. It's not like you'd just want to do something nice for me, or anything. You barely even know me.'

'Barely know you? I'd say we were friends back at Shiz-'

'We were,' she cut him off. 'Back at Shiz. But like I said, you should stop thinking about me as being that girl. I'm not her anymore. You may have known _her_ pretty well, but you don't know _me_, Fiyero.'

'Elphaba.' He caught her arms, forcing her to look at him. 'I didn't want to pull out the hard artillery, but I feel like I have to.' He took a deep breath. 'I love you.'

She scoffed. 'You're going to have to come up with something better than that.'

He shook his head. 'I'm being serious, Elphaba. I love you. I have ever since Shiz. Do you want to know why I joined the Gale Force?' he asked her then. 'To find you. I joined them because I wanted to find you. Glinda, too, of course, because she was my friend, I guess, but… especially you.'

Her eyes were wide now. 'But you… and Glinda…'

'We were still a couple,' he conceded, 'but I didn't love her. I never did. The only girl I've ever loved is you.'

She pulled away. 'You're an idiot,' she hissed at him. 'You don't love me and you never have. You're crazy, Fiyero. Absolutely crazy. And even in the impossible case that you did love me back then, it means nothing now. You don't know me, Fiyero. Not anymore.'

He stepped closer again, gaze still fixed on her. 'Then let me get to know you.'

'No.' She recoiled, stepping away from him. 'Get back to the real world, Fiyero,' she said. 'Get back to whatever it was you were doing before we ran into each other again and pretend you never saw me or Glinda after Shiz.'

'Back to whatever it was I was doing before I saw you again?' he echoed. 'That would be combing out all of Oz in an attempt to find you.'

She shook her head. 'Fiyero…'

'It's true,' he insisted. 'You were always on my mind, Elphaba. Always. Even when I wasn't working, I was thinking about you. Wondering what you were doing, if you would be safe. Wondering if you could ever love me back. And I promised myself that if I ever found you again, I would tell you the truth.'

'What truth is that?' she demanded, but her voice was trembling slightly. He looked into her eyes to convey his sincerity. 'Like I said - that I love you.'

She heaved a shaky sigh, forcing herself to regain her composure. 'Fiyero,' she said as calmly as possible. 'You've got to stop this.'

'Don't you love me back?' he wanted to know. 'If you don't, I won't blame you, you know, but I need to know.'

'Get out of here, Fiyero,' she said, suddenly sounding tired. 'I have a job to do, and you're distracting me from it. Again. Please, just… leave me alone.' With that, she disappeared in the crowd.

He went after her, catching her arm. 'Are you off to 'charm your way into some guy's pants' again?' he asked her sarcastically, and she wrenched herself free from his grip. 'As a matter of fact, _yes_.'

He looked unhappy. 'I don't like you doing that.'

'Your opinions on me, my actions or my job don't mean anything to me.'

'Elphaba,' he said, almost desperately now. 'Please. Just listen to me. I really do love you, and I… I just want to talk. Okay? Can we do that? Talk? Just don't go on with this,' he nearly begged. 'I really hate seeing you like that with other men.'

She arched an eyebrow. 'So just because you claim to love me, you think you have the right to be possessive?'

He flushed, horrified with himself. He was completely messing this up. 'No! That's not what I meant!'

It was too late, however. Her eyes flashed dangerously and she jabbed her finger in his chest. 'You, Tiggular,' she said in a low voice, something flickering in her dark brown eyes, 'just gave me yet another reason to go up to that man and kiss him right in front of your nose. And there's nothing you can do to stop me!'

Then she stalked off.

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**Next chapter is going to be... um... intense, I suppose. I already know which title I'm going to use, and it'll give away a little bit of what I have planned for the chapter itself... Let me give you a hint: he had it coming. Does that mean anything to any of you? I'll love you forever if you manage to connect the dots.**


	9. Chapter 9 Cell Block Tango

**AN: Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews! :)**

**Virtual cookies (or what was it that I promised you? Oh no, wait, wasn't it ever-lasting love? I always forget those kinds of things :3 anyway, lots of whatever I promised you'd get last chapter) to all of you who said 'Cell Block Tango'. As you can see in the title. I must admit I never saw the show, but I love the song.**

**And before you ask (okay, after you ask, since some of you already asked): no, I didn't name the chapter that because someone gets murdered :P. Though believe me, it's not for lack of trying - on both sides. It does involve a tango, though. And a cell. And some references to the song, just because I could.**

**It may seem bad, but this is actually Fiyeraba moving forward. A little. Baby steps. But still.**

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**Chapter 9. Cell Block Tango**

'Hi,' she said flirtatiously as she popped up next to her target. The councillor smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close. 'There she is again. Couldn't stay away from me, now could you?'

'Is there anyone who can?' she asked, batting her eyelashes at him, and he bellowed a laugh. 'True.'

From the other side of the room, she saw Fiyero looking at her with a look on his face that much resembled that of a beaten puppy, and she felt her temper flare up again. What made him think he had any right to say all those things to her? To claim that he loved her and to ask her not to this with other men? Maybe if he had _done something_ after the whole Lion Cub fiasco, he could have _earned_ himself the right to be a little possessive, but-

Whoa. Wait. What? She mentally kicked herself. _What in Oz are you thinking, Elphaba? He was with Glinda back then, and besides, it was just a stupid moment in a stupid clearing with a stupid Vinkun Prince who said some stupid things._

Stupid…

'_You think I'm really stupid, don't you?'_

'_No! Not _really _stupid…'_

She shook her head to clear it of those thoughts. This was wrong. It hadn't meant anything, anything at all.

_Who are you kidding? _a voice in the back of her head said, and she cursed herself for her own stupidity. _Okay. Fine. Maybe it did mean something, back then. Maybe I kind of sort of slightly fell in love with him just the tiniest little bit._

_There. Was that so hard to admit?_

_But that doesn't mean I feel anything for him now. We're both different persons now._

_Why do you feel the sudden need to constantly point that out to yourself and anyone you come across? Trying to convince yourself of something?_

_No! Of course not!_

_Face it, Elphaba. You haven't changed half as much as you want to believe you have._

She stopped once she was realising she was having a mental conversation with herself. Perhaps she was going crazy after all.

Still feeling Fiyero's gaze on her, she leaned up, one slim emerald leg popping up to peep through the split of her dress, and she slipped her arms around the councillor's neck. Then she kissed him full on the mouth.

He responded immediately, kissing her back deeply, and she only pulled away after a long while. Her eyes immediately flashed towards Fiyero, whose gaze had hardened, and she smirked maliciously. Perhaps that would teach him a lesson.

But, she decided when a new song started to play, the lesson hadn't ended yet. She pursed her lips at her target. 'Want to dance?' she asked sensually, and he quirked an eyebrow at her. 'You can dance the tango?'

She threw her head in her neck and cackled. 'I know every dance out there,' she purred. 'And the tango is a very… ah… passionate dance, isn't it?'

His grin widened. 'You bet it is.'

She waggled her eyebrows. 'So…?'

He took her hand in his and guided her to the dance floor. Fiyero, from the other side of the room, was watching her like a hawk, and she arched an eyebrow at him triumphantly as she started dancing with the man in front of her. No matter how creepily smooth and arrogant he may be, she had to admit he knew his dances, and she knew that they were looking absolutely perfect together in that moment. She had hoped they would.

He spun her and pulled her to him again, her back against his chest, and she snaked an arm around his neck, leaning into him. Fiyero's gaze had darkened and she sent him a sickly sweet smile before spinning back out, hooking her leg around her dance partner's own as they moved together, their feet taking the steps at almost the exact same time.

When they turned a little and she could get a good look at Fiyero again, her jaw dropped for a moment. There he was with a pretty little brunette in a creamy white dress, taking her into his arms, leading her into a tango as well. Elphaba narrowed her eyes at him and he cocked his head slightly in response, raising both eyebrows.

She knew she shouldn't feel anything at the display. She knew she shouldn't let it get to her; she had no connection with him at all and he could do as he pleased. But if that was the case, then why did she feel that slight pang of jealousy that had always struck her when she saw him with Galinda back at Shiz? Why did it bother her?

The answer was simple: because she still felt something for him.

The councillor lifted her up in the air and she spun around him, never once losing her focus, but her gaze was still fixed on Fiyero. She did _not _feel anything for him. Nothing at all. Nothing but frustration and irritation and annoyance and perhaps something else that she couldn't quite explain, but nothing that _meant _anything.

_Oh, really? _that annoying voice in her head chimed in again, sounding smug. _Then why exactly are you currently trying to make him jealous by dancing the very dance of love and passion with another man?_

_I'm not trying to make him jealous,_ she told herself. _I'm punishing him for being stupid._

_For being stupid, or for saying things you don't want to hear?_

_Both, but not for the reasons you think._

_Search your feelings, Elphaba. Why exactly is it that you don't want to hear those things? Because it's annoying? _The voice paused dramatically. _Or because he's right?_

_He's not right. He doesn't love me and I could never love him back._

_You already do._

'Shut up,' she hissed under her breath, and her dance partner looked at her, frowning slightly. 'Did you say something, dear?'

She flashed him a brilliant smile. 'Nothing.' Oz, she really should stop having conversations with herself in her mind.

Suddenly, she remembered her mission. Oops. She had been so caught up in making Fiyero jealous that she'd almost forgotten the _real _reason why she was here – to steal the seal ring of this man. She shook her head, irritated with herself. She shouldn't let that stupid Vinkun prince get to her like that – now he was even distracting her from her mission!

When the councillor dipped her, she managed to sneakily slide a hand up his jacket and pull the ring from his inner pocket. He righted her again and spun her, and she quickly let the ring drop down the front of her dress. There. Mission accomplished.

Fiyero's brunette was all over him by now, and he lifted her high up in the air, making people cheer for them. The girl sensually licked her lips and brushed them across his jaw line, and Elphaba's eyes narrowed again.

When Fiyero stole another glance at the green witch, she used the opportunity to curl herself around her dance partner, hooking her leg around his hip and arching her back, leaning so far backwards she could oversee the ballroom upside down. She moved her foot so that it slid down the councillor's leg provokingly, and she parted her lips slightly, batting her eyelashes at Fiyero in mock innocence before letting her target pull her back up.

Fiyero's gaze had darkened again and he and his girl moved closer to the other couple, all four of them dancing as if their lives depended on it. The head councillor bent forward, his lips brushing Elphaba's ear. 'We've got competition.'

Her grip on him tightened. 'Let's show them something.'

He grinned at her and dipped her, making quite a show of it. Fiyero's brunette twirled in his arms and leaned into him, seductively massaging his leg with her foot, arching an eyebrow at Elphaba, who immediately bristled. Her own dance partner picked her up and lifted her in the air again. She wrapped her legs around his waist and caressed his face with her hand, eyes flickering to the side to see what Fiyero was doing.

Fiyero slipped the brunette down between his legs and she slid gracefully across the floor, while he spun around to pull her back up at the other side. The girl pursed her lips and there was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she lowered her hand to stroke Fiyero's thigh. Elphaba clenched her teeth. 'We can do that better.'

'We most certainly can,' the councillor whispered in her ear, starting to kiss her neck. She didn't even protest when he started groping her everywhere – the only thing she noticed was that Fiyero looked ready to murder someone, and she smirked slightly. Now she had him where she wanted him.

The song finally ended and a new one started, and Fiyero briefly but gallantly kissed the brunette's hand before steering her back towards her friends. Then he turned to face Elphaba and the head councillor, and his breath hitched in his throat. They were kissing each other passionately, and he could _see _the cocky man wiggling his tongue into Elphaba's mouth as his hands roamed her body.

Something in Fiyero just snapped and he strode towards them, pulling the man away from her roughly. 'What do you think you're doing?' he demanded of Elphaba, who give him her best death glare. 'I'm trying to prove to you that I can do anything with anyone without having to ask your permission,' she sneered, and he shook his head. 'So you start seducing random men and kiss them senseless just to prove a point? This was uncalled for, Elphaba!'

'Oh, you're one to talk!' she snapped. 'That girl was practically stripping you in front of everyone!'

'I was only doing it because you started it!'

'And why did that bother you so much?'

'Oz dammit, Elphaba, because I _love _you!'

That stupid little voice in her head told her sternly to just tell him that she loved him back already, but she silenced it and crossed her arms instead, glowering. 'I've had enough of you! Get out of here!'

'I have every right to be here!'

'At least leave me alone, then!'

'No!'

She narrowed her eyes. 'Fine.' In one swift movement, she'd whirled around to face the councillor again and started kissing him fiercely, arms locking around his neck, legs wrapping around his hips. He pressed her to a wall and kissed her back, sending Fiyero into a fit of rage. He roughly shoved the man, making him lose his balance, and closed his hands around Elphaba's waist to yank her away from the councillor. The councillor then stumbled against the two of them and all three of them ended up in a heap on the floor.

The head councillor scrambled to his feet, dusting off his clothes. 'It's been nice to meet you, Miss,' he told Elphaba, with a cold look towards Fiyero. 'Too bad we didn't meet in different circumstances.'

She fluttered her eyelashes at him and sent him a radiant smile. 'Too bad indeed,' she said flirtatiously, and the man smiled at her before quickly leaving. Fiyero shoved her. 'What in Oz are you doing?' he demanded.

She rose to her feet and put her hands on her hips, eyes blazing. 'What am _I _doing?' she hissed. '_You_, Master Fiyero Tiggular,' the glasses on the tables started to rattle, 'are the most obnoxious,' a few glasses toppled over, sending drinks spilling all over tables and fancy clothes, 'brainless,' her gaze bore into his, '_annoying_,' the glasses rattled harder, 'and altogether _stupid _man I've ever come across!'

She ended her tirade with a wild hand gesture, and suddenly, every single glass in the room shattered to pieces. Glinda, who was watching the two of them fight from the crowd, gasped softly. It had been a long while since Elphaba's powers had spun out of control, and this was the worst possible timing. Right now, everyone was staring at the dark-haired witch in disbelief. The blonde silently cursed her friend – what if someone connected the dots and realised that the green was not paint, but that this was the Wicked Witch of the West standing in front of them?

Luckily, no one seemed to think that far. They were all too fascinated by the fight that was still going on in the middle of the ballroom.

Fiyero was sporting that pathetic beaten puppy-look again, and Elphaba gave a frustrated shriek and picked a plate from the buffet table, throwing it in Fiyero's direction. He quickly scrambled out of the way and ducked behind a few guests, who scurried away hastily, not wanting to get involved.

'I hate you, Fiyero Tiggular!' Elphaba screeched, completely losing control of her temper now. She threw more plates in his direction, with him dodging them desperately. 'I hate you!'

'Well, you know what they say!' he yelled, picking up a few plates himself and sending them flying in her direction, tossing them like they were discuses. 'There's a thin line between hatred and love!'

'Never!' she yelled back. One of the plates he threw hit her arm and she yelped. 'That was my bad arm, dumbass!'

She threw another plate with all her might, hitting him in the side. He grimaced in pain and picked up a few other plates to throw at her, but then the Gale Force, who had been called by some of the guests, finally arrived and pulled the two away from the buffet tables, pulling their arms behind their backs. They were screaming horrible, horrible things at each other, and the lieutenant of the Gale Force, who was second in command – right behind Fiyero – quirked an eyebrow. 'My, Captain…' he said, clacking his tongue disapprovingly. 'I would have thought better of you. Fighting with a lady?'

'She's not a lady,' Fiyero spat, struggling to get to her – all he wanted right now was to strangle her. 'She's an ice queen! A cold-hearted _witch_!'

Elphaba's eyes widened and she gritted her teeth in an attempt to keep what little self-control she had left. 'You take that back.'

'Why?' he sneered. 'It's true, isn't it?'

With a blood-curdling, enraged scream, she started fighting again, crabbing and clawing and biting like a wild cat, in an attempt to get to him. The Gale Force soldiers held her back, pulling the two apart. 'Let's get them down to the dungeons,' ordered the lieutenant. 'See if a night in jail will cool them off.'

They were taken down to the dungeons and thrown into the same cell. 'There,' one of the soldiers said smugly. 'Let's see which one of you survives the night.'

The lieutenant gave him a pointed look. '_Or_,' he suggested sternly, 'the two of you could just talk this out like _adults_.'

Elphaba scoffed. '_Adults_? You do know who you're talking to, don't you?' she cackled, indicating Fiyero with her head. He narrowed his eyes at her. 'Oh, yes, because _you _are the example of a sensible adult!'

'I am usually!' she retorted. 'Just not around _you_!'

'Oh, so now it's _my _fault that _you _can't behave like a normal person?'

'Yes! You are a bad influence on me!'

'I'll get you out tomorrow,' said the lieutenant, before beckoning the other soldiers and leaving the dungeons. Elphaba sat down on the small bench at one side of the cell, arms crossed, chin raised defiantly, facing away from Fiyero; he took place on the cot at the other end of the cell, not looking at her, either.

'I feel like murdering you now,' she declared after a while, and he snorted. 'Believe me, the feeling is mutual.'

'No, really,' she said after a few more moments of silence. 'I could _really _kill you right now. If someone gave me a knife, I'd go for it.'

'I'd like to see you try.'

She made her voice sound a bit husky and fake innocent. 'Oh my, your Ozness! I swear I didn't do it on purpose! I was just in a cell with him, and then I turned around…'

'You are so childish.'

'…and then he ran into my knife,' she continued smugly. 'He ran into my knife ten times.'

'Not funny.'

'Wasn't meant to be.'

'Remind me of this next time I decide to save someone you care about,' he snapped. 'I should just have left Nessa to get murdered, since you obviously don't care a twig about anything I do for you!'

She was silent for a while. 'You had it coming,' she said quietly. He immediately bristled again. 'For saving Nessa?'

She shook her head. 'For lying to me!' she spat out. There. She'd said it.

His eyes widened a little. 'When did I lie to you? Are you doubting that I saved Nessa? Because I swear to Oz, I really did-'

'I'm not doubting you saved Nessa,' she cut him off curtly. 'I'm talking about what you said after that.'

It took him some thinking, but then he realised what she meant. 'You think I lied to you about loving you?'

'Shut _up_, Fiyero. Shut up and go find your lost brain cells.'

'I haven't lost any brain cells.'

'Were you _born _without brain cells then? My, your poor parents.'

'Elphaba!' he cut her off, irritated. 'I never lied to you!'

She scoffed. 'Have you lost your mind, then? Fiyero, you can't love me! No one can! Not even my own father and _sister _could love me!'

And finally, he understood. 'So that's what this is all about.'

'I don't know what you're talking about.' She curled up in the corner, as far away from him as she could manage. The cold cobblestones weren't all that comfortable, but since she had started working for the Resistance, she could sleep anywhere. 'I'm going to sleep now.'

He didn't protest. He knew she'd come around sooner or later.

He just needed to give her time.


	10. Chapter 10 Should Have Stayed Up High

**AN: Yeah, I kind of liked the previous chapter myself. And I love hearing/reading your favourite lines. It makes me smile :).**

**BlueD: Actually, no, I didn't know that xD. We're always way behind on the USA when it come to movies and stuff... it'll probably come out here later :3.**

**EmeraldReine: Thank you so much! ^_^ Though I really think you should sleep, it's still nice to hear.**

**Musicgal3: I loved your review, as always. And there were a lot of 'Oh no''s in there :P.**

**Fae Tiggular: Don't feel relieved too soon... *smirk***

**Mbak Sanca: For no apparent reason... should I be offended? :P No, just kidding - thank you!**

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**Chapter 10. Should Have Stayed Up High**

'I love you.'

'I'm not listening.'

'I bet you are. I love you.'

'Shut _up_, Fiyero. I'm trying to sleep.'

'I loooooove you!' he declared in a sing-song voice. She groaned. 'Well, _you _haven't changed at all. Still annoying and obnoxious.'

'And in love with you.'

'Would you stop it?'

'Fae, please talk to me.'

Her head shot up at the old nickname, eyes narrowing to dark slits. 'Don't call me that.'

'Elphaba…'

'I'm _sleeping_.'

'What happened to 'talking this out like adults'?'

''Adults' being the key word. Since the conversation would include _you_, it's a lost cause before it even started.'

'Come on. Please. I really do love you.'

'Don't _say _that!'

'Love-love-love-love-love-love-_ouch_!' He rubbed his arm, where she had punched him. 'What was _that _for?' he demanded, and she looked at him in exasperation. 'Do you really have to ask?'

He was silent for a while. After she had come over to him to punch him, she had perched herself onto the cot with him instead of returning to her bench. Granted, she had still scooted as far away from him as possible, but still. He considered it a hopeful sign.

Neither of them said anything and they didn't look at each other, just sat at different ends of the cot. Finally, Elphaba opened her mouth and muttered something.

'What was that?' he asked, jerked away from his thoughts, and she repeated reluctantly, 'Thank you.'

He was amazed. 'For what?'

'Saving Nessa for me.'

'Oh.' He felt like dancing – for her, he knew, this was a huge step. 'You're welcome.'

They fell silent again, until he offered, 'If you want to sleep, you can have the cot.'

She sounded surprised when she replied. 'Oh, no, thank you. I'll just… stay awake.'

He rolled his eyes, even though she couldn't see that. 'Come on, Fae, just sleep on the damn cot. I'll sleep on the floor.'

'No, that won't be necessary,' she insisted. 'I slept on floors many times before. I'll be fine.'

Silence again. He thought about her words and realised that to some extent, she had been right before. He didn't really know her; not anymore. So much had happened in the past two years, so much that he hadn't taken part in… 'Tell me about your life.'

She sounded surprised – and slightly wary - once again. 'What?'

'Tell me about your life,' he repeated. He shifted a little, resting his back against the wall. 'What you do. Who your friends are. Let me get to know the new and improved Elphaba Thropp.'

She snorted. 'I don't think she's someone you really want to know, Fiyero.'

'Humour me.'

'Fine.' She sighed. 'What do you want to know?'

'You could start by telling me what exactly happened after you and Glin left for the Emerald City,' he suggested, and she did. She told him about their one wonderful day in the City and their visiting the Wizard, and what had happened once they got there. He listened without interrupting her and when she finished, they stayed quiet for a while.

'It must have been hard,' he said then. She shrugged. 'Some parts were harder than others.'

'Which parts?'

She bit her lip. 'Leaving Nessa behind was the worst,' she said quietly. 'Leaving… Shiz in general, I guess. Not that I had so many friends there, and especially since Glinda was going with me, there weren't many people I missed… but just the fact that I would never finish my education, that all my dreams had shattered before my eyes… that kind of hurt.'

He nodded, understanding. He decided not to comment on the fact that she just told him about something that had _hurt_ her in the past – he got the feeling that she was slowly starting to open up to him and he didn't want to mess that up. 'And being declared a Wicked Witch?'

'That wasn't really fun, either,' she said sarcastically, and he laughed a little. 'But it's not too bad,' she continued. 'Especially in the City, people aren't very wary of me. They all seem to think the green is just paint. It's a fashion statement around here, so it's not uncommon.' She shrugged again. 'That's the main reason Glin and I decided to stay here, in the City. We've been hiding right under the Wizard's nose for the past two years.'

'Clever.' He rested his head back against the wall as they lapsed into silence once again. Again, he was the one breaking the silence. 'Are you sure you don't want to talk about me lov-'

'I'm sure.'

'Okay.' He closed his eyes, since it was pitch black in the cell anyway. 'It can wait.'

He knew she would be too curious to let it slide, and he turned out to be right. 'How long?' she asked softly after a while, and he didn't have to ask what she meant. 'Since the Lion Cub.'

'Oh.' _Hey_, that annoying voice in her head said perkily, _that's about the same time you fell in love with him! Coincidence, huh? Now would you go and tell him already?_

_Never. _'Do you ever have conversations with yourself in your head?' she asked abruptly, and he chuckled at her sudden question. 'All the time. Why? Is part of you trying to tell the other part of you something?'

'Something like that,' she said reluctantly, but to her relief, he didn't interrogate her further. They lapsed into silence again.

'I know you don't want to talk about it, but-'

'Then don't.'

'Why won't you believe me?'

'Because it's impossible. You can't love me. I don't want you to love me. Go away.'

'Never.'

'Dramatic playboy prince.'

'Stubborn green girl.'

She glared at him. 'I'm not stubborn.'

He snorted a laugh. 'No, of course not. And I'm the Wonderful Wizard of Oz.'

'You should be glad you're not. If you were him, I'd be strangling you with my bare hands right now.'

'I thought you already felt like murdering me.'

'I did. But there are people I hate even more than I hate you.' She let out a soft groan. 'I _wish _the Wizard was in here with me now… even if I don't have any weapons at my disposal, it still wouldn't be pretty, I can assure you that.'

'You really hate him, don't you?' he asked. She rolled her eyes at him. 'Do I hate the man who destroyed my life? Let me think about that.' She tapped her chin in mock thoughtfulness. 'Um… _yes, I do_,' she finished, grinding her teeth.

He flushed a little. 'Sorry. That was a really stupid thing to say.'

She didn't say anything. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. 'Oh, come on, just say it. I know you want to.'

'No, I don't,' she snapped. 'I'm not going to tell you that it wasn't a _really _stupid thing to say, because it _was _a really stupid thing to say. _You _are really stupid!'

His smile faded – that genuinely stung a little. 'Ouch.'

'I'm sure your oversized ego can handle it,' she sneered, before moving away from him. He hissed in annoyance. 'Fine. Turn away again. Go ahead and push! That's what you do best, isn't it? Chasing people away? Especially the ones you care about?'

'Are you implying that I care about you?' she inquired, and he shot at her, 'Your words, not mine!'

Her eyes narrowed. 'I _don't _care.'

'Keep telling yourself that,' he snarled. 'I don't even know why I'm taking the effort. I _love _you, Oz dammit, and all you do is pushing me away!'

'Of course I push you away!' she shouted, jumping to her feet, eyes flaming even in the scarce light. 'You really don't understand it, do you? Have you got any idea what it's like when the entire country wants you dead?' she demanded, planting her hands on her hips. 'When the very leader of Oz pronounced you a Wicked Witch, and your best friends, as well? When your own _sister _betrays you? When everyone you meet, every stranger you bump into, might recognise you any minute and run away, screaming for the Gale Force? Have you got any idea what it's like to be on the run _all the time_, never feeling safe anywhere? Knowing that it's your fault your best friend is a fugitive, that you hurt your sister because you chose a greater cause over her? Over family? Knowing that the one man you love ended up all alone because of you? No! You don't know anything about…' Her voice trailed away when she realised she had slipped up. For a clock-tick, she hoped he hadn't noticed; but of course he had.

'Elphaba.' He slowly inched closer to her, approaching her as if she were a wild animal. She eyed him warily, but didn't flinch or bolt, not even when he reached out and gently touched her hand. 'Fae. You're right,' he said quietly. 'You're completely right. I have no idea what that is like.' He took her hand in his now, carefully lacing their fingers together. She didn't pull away.

'I shouldn't have said that,' he continued. 'I'm sorry. I understand why you can't trust anyone, I really do. But I promise you that you can trust _me_.'

'A promise isn't enough,' she whispered, eyes never leaving him, watching him vigilantly as he moved closer. 'Then let me show you,' he whispered back, and before her mind could even process what was going on, he was kissing her. He was all over her, fingers tangled in her hair and cupping her face, hands moving to her waist and sliding over her back, arms enclosing around her, and his lips pressed against hers. She kissed him back fervently, shoving all reasonable thought aside, locking her arms around his neck.

'I don't love you,' she breathed between kisses as he pushed her against the wall to get a better angle at her neck. He kissed the soft skin there and she arched her neck to give him better access. 'I know,' he murmured, still kissing almost feverishly, and she stopped him for a moment with one hand held up. 'I'm serious,' she said, her lips already swollen from all the kissing. 'I don't love you.'

'You don't have to.' He started kissing her again, deeply, and her eyes closed on their own accord as she melted into him almost inadvertently. It was amazing what he could do to her with a single touch… but she didn't love him. She really, _really _didn't love him.

_Liar._

She told the voice in her head to go and do something _very _inappropriate and just kissed him back, her mind void of all normal thought. At least, that's what she thought. Unfortunately, her brain wasn't that easy to shut off.

She pulled away again. 'I _really _don't love you,' she stressed, and he groaned. 'Whatever you want, Fae.'

'But I'm-'

'Would you stop talking? You're ruining the mood.'

'_What _mood?' She immediately pulled away and scrambled backwards, eyeing him suspiciously. 'You didn't think I was going to sleep with you, did you? Because I wasn't planning to. Not now and not ever, and certainly not in a disgusting icy cold prison cell-'

'Oz, Fae, I'm not expecting you to sleep with me!' Frustrated, he ran his fingers through his hair. 'You must be the most confusing woman I've ever met!'

She arched an eyebrow. 'Is that so?'

'Yes! Confusing and impossible and… and…' _Beautiful. _But he didn't want her foot in his groin, so he didn't say that out loud. 'You're like… a butterfly spinning around a sword. You're a tease, you know that? You're just _daring _me to lash out, but once I do, you get mad at me and pretend it's all my fault!'

'It _is _your fault! I'm not teasing you!'

'Oh, Master head councillor,' he mimicked her in a high voice, fluttering his eyelashes. 'Of _course _you can poke your tongue into my mouth and grab me everywhere you want to!'

She flushed. 'I didn't do that!'

'_He _did, and you didn't stop him!'

'It's my _job_, Fiyero! And it's not like you have a right to say anything about it!'

'No.' He sank down onto the cot, his hand in his hair. 'You know what?' he said finally. 'You're right. I don't.' He shook his head. 'Fine, then. I'm giving up.' He sighed and curled up on the cot. 'I don't know what to do anymore, Fae. You don't believe me when I tell you I love you and you've made it very clear that you don't want me anywhere near you, so… the moment we'll get out of here, you'll be rid of me. Just like you want. I'll just go back to the Vinkus, find myself a wife like my parents expect me to… forget about you, even though I'm pretty sure that's impossible, but I can try.' He was talking to the wall now, his back turned towards her, curling a bit more into himself. Hot tears were stinging his eyes, but he didn't want her to see them. For two years, he had looked everywhere for her. He was willing to give up everything, everything he had once had and could ever have, just to be with her. He loved her more than anything in the world. Even now, even when she turned him away and snapped at him and treated him like garbage. Her mere presence caused butterflies to flutter around in his stomach… but she made it clear that she didn't feel the same way about him, and he would have to respect that.

Elphaba, for her part, was baffled by his surrender. She bit her lip, that stupid voice in her head screaming at her. _Go to him! Apologise! Tell him you love him, Elphaba, before it's too late! You don't want to lose him!_

She didn't protest. It was true, after all: she didn't want to lose him. But wasn't that exactly why she had to let him go? Wasn't it bad enough that she had endangered her best friend? Should she endanger the man she loved as well? What did she have to offer him? She had no real home. She barely had any money to feed and clothe herself properly. She was a wanted fugitive, constantly in danger. Even if she could open up her heart and let him love her, she wouldn't do it. She wouldn't let him get hurt because of her. It was better to hurt him now, like this, to make him think she didn't love him, than to allow something much worse to happen to him if he went with her.

_You're like… a butterfly spinning around a sword. _

'I'm like a butterfly,' she whispered, drawing her knees up to her chest, hugging them close to her body. 'Spinning around a sword as if to dare…' Was she daring him? Honestly? What _was _she doing?

_If you're a butterfly, you should have stayed up high. Away from the sword and away from the ground. You knew it was dangerous, yet you inched closer every time. It's your own fault, you know. Why don't you just give in?_

_I can't!_

_It's not that hard. Just walk up to him and say 'I love you, too'. Four little words. That's all there is to it._

She bit her lip. She couldn't. She was torn between giving in to her feelings and giving in to her sensible mind, and she didn't know what to do. She usually listened to her mind – it tended to be right about most things – but right now, she was being pulled down into a whirlwind of emotions, and that scared her. She had never been an emotional person. Ever. She had always kept her emotions carefully in check, except for when it came to her sister – then she'd lose control sometimes. And that one day with the Lion Cub. That had been the first time, perhaps, that she had _really _let her guard down, that she had let herself feel and even showed her feelings to someone else – with the possible exception of Glinda, the night they had become friends.

Around him, it was hard to stay in control. She didn't want to love him, but she couldn't help it, and that scared her beyond reason. 'It's stronger than me…' she whispered, and Fiyero moved a little on the cot, though he didn't look at her. 'What?'

'My gravity.' My, now she was getting poetic. What was _happening_ to her?

Fiyero stirred again, adjusting his position a little, but still facing the wall. 'I thought you said you _defied _gravity.'

A wry smile tugged at the corners of her lips. 'I'm a woman full of contradictions.'

He sniffed in agreement. 'You could say that.'

She almost laughed out loud. Yes, she defied gravity – in the literal sense. She could fly and it felt wonderful. But he… he was like a magnet, pulling her to him despite her struggles. If his love was her gravity, then it truly was stronger than her.

_Wait. What? No! I can't give in! I won't!_

_Just do it already! _Only now did she notice that the voice in her head sounded an awful lot like Glinda. She huffed. Perhaps the blonde had rubbed off on her more than either of them had thought.

Suddenly, she heard a soft sound coming from the bed, and her head shot up. 'Fiyero?'

The sound stopped. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. 'Are you… crying?'

An indignant huff. '_No_.' But she knew he was, and suddenly, guilt washed all over her. 'Oh, Yero…'

Something broke inside of her, her resolve crumbling, and she crawled over to the bed and lay down with him, snaking her arms around his waist. He turned, surprised, and with a pang she noticed that his eyes were indeed red and puffy. In an impulse, she leaned forward and gently kissed each of his eyelids. 'I'm sorry,' she whispered. 'I didn't mean… I mean, I just…' She wanted to tell him, she did, but she just couldn't. The words wouldn't leave her lips.

He looked at her, his azure blue eyes unreadable. 'I take back what I said before. You're not the most confusing woman I've ever met.'

She arched an eyebrow. 'I'm not?'

He shook his head. 'You're the most confusing woman ever in _existence_.'

'Should I be offended?'

He shrugged. 'I'll leave that up to you.' He looked at her again, trying to get to the bottom of her, but he couldn't see past those beautiful dark brown eyes. She remained a mystery to him and she frustrated him to no end. Suddenly, he felt incredibly tired. 'What do you want from me, Fae?'

She bit her lip. 'I… I don't know.' And that was the truth. What _did _she want from him? She had no idea. She didn't know what she was doing and she didn't know what she should do next, and that scared her. She was always in control, she always knew exactly what she had to do, in every imaginable situation. But now…

Now, for the first time, Elphaba Thropp didn't have the faintest clue as to what she should do.

* * *

**The butterfly spinning around a sword - should have stayed up high - gravity thing is from a song. Virtual chocolate cake for those who know which one, because it's not really well known, but I love the song.**


	11. Chapter 11 I Could Be That Guy

**AN: Does any of you know from which musical I got this chapter's title? It's the name of a song from said musical, and when I heard the title of it I was like, 'OMG, that totally matches with I'm Not That Girl! *fangirl moment*'. **

**Oh, and yes, the song from the previous chapter! It's called Gravity by Zlata Ognevich, from the Eurovision Song Contest this year. Ukraine sent it and they didn't win, but I love the song (I already started fangirling when they even mentioned the word 'gravity' :3). Virtual cookies for Elphaba-WWW!**

**So, here you guys go... Fiyeraba! :D Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter 11. I Could Be That Guy**

Neither of them moved for a while, and Elphaba thought that he had fallen asleep, but then he said softly, 'Fae?'

'Yes?'

'If I ask you a question, will you answer me honestly?'

She stayed silent for a moment, not sure what to say. Then she said quietly, 'If you want me to.'

'I do.'

'Then I will.'

'Okay.' He paused again for a long time, and she stayed silent as well, waiting for him. Finally, he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, 'Do you really want me to leave?'

She remained silent, and he continued just as quietly, 'If I were to go back to the Vinkus tomorrow, to find myself a bride and live the rest of my life without ever seeing you again… would that make you happy?'

_Yes. Yes! I have to say yes!_

_Stop lying to him – and to yourself – and just tell him already!_

_I can't!_

Now the voice – Glinda's voice – sounded ominous. _Then you'll watch him leave tomorrow and you'll never see him again in your life. _

'No,' she whispered.

He raised his head and turned slightly in order to look at her. 'What?'

'No,' she repeated, barely audible. 'That wouldn't make me happy. I don't really want you to leave.'

He tried to meet her gaze, but she averted her eyes, focusing on a small spot of dirt on his suit instead. 'Then why do you keep insisting I do leave?' he asked her.

She heaved a shaky sigh. 'Because… because I don't want you to get hurt,' she whispered. 'Being with me… you wouldn't be safe, Fiyero. It's not safe for you to be anywhere near me. I'm a wanted fugitive, for Oz's sake… I already dragged Glinda into this. I can't risk your life as well.'

'Is that the reason?' he demanded incredulously. 'Oz, Elphaba, I'm a grown man! I can make my own decisions! Would you let me decide for myself whether I want to risk my life or not?'

She hissed in annoyance. 'No! You have no idea what goes on in my daily life, Fiyero! I _murder _people! I challenge the authorities every day, and someday, it'll go wrong! It's dangerous what I do, but I do it because it makes me feel like I'm making myself useful, I'm making a difference in Oz, and I don't care if I end up paying for that one day, but I refuse to drag you down with me!'

He turned around completely now, to face her, but her eyes found a new spot to focus on – one of the bricks the prison cell wall was made of. She felt his gaze on her, but she didn't return it. 'Fae…' he tried, but she didn't say anything else.

He sighed and tried to take her hands. She pulled away. 'You're right,' he admitted. 'I don't know what you do on a daily basis. But you know what? I don't care. I don't care what danger I might be in if it means I can be with you. Even if it would last a mere day, I wouldn't care, because you would have been mine for some time. I love you, Elphaba. More than I can possibly say.'

Now she did meet his gaze, and he was unnerved to find a haunted look in her chocolate brown eyes, and the shimmering that indicated… tears? 'Fiyero…' she whispered. 'You don't know what you're saying. I have nothing to offer you.'

'I don't need anything.'

'But your life so far-'

'Was empty,' he finished for her. 'Sure, I had money and fame and popularity, and friends, however shallow… but none of that meant anything to me until I arrived at Shiz and nearly ran over a gorgeous green girl, after which I made a very, very bad joke about her skin colour…'

She couldn't help but chuckle softly at the memory, and he smiled. 'There are certain things money can't buy, Fae, and I only realised that once I fell in love with you. My life had meant nothing up until that point and it became empty and meaningless once again when you left. My only drive for not giving up completely was the knowledge that I could look for you, the hope that I would find you one day and that… I don't know. I guess I hoped we could be together, but just having you in my life, in any way at all, would be the most amazing thing.'

She snorted softly. 'Fiyero, you're being overdramatic. Stop exaggerating.'

He locked eyes with her, and all thoughts froze for a moment when she saw the determination in his sapphire blue eyes. 'I'm not exaggerating,' he assured her softly, and she swallowed and looked away.

'Fae?'

She didn't respond, but he asked his question anyway. 'Why are you so worried about me getting hurt?'

In her mind, a war had broken out.

_Just say it already. Say it. 'Because I love you too.' It's not that hard._

_Elphaba Thropp, don't you dare say it! You'll make an idiot out of yourself!_

_Say it!_

_You'll put him in danger! Do you want to put him in danger? Do you want him to get hurt? To risk his life for you?_

_He's right – he's a grown man and he can decide that for himself! Admit it!_

_What if he dies, Elphaba? What if he dies because of you?_

_Don't you want to be happy? He can make you happy, and you can make him happy, too. All you have to do is say it._

_He doesn't know what he's saying!_

_He's completely in his right mind. He does know what he's saying. He loves you. If you send him back to the Vinkus now, he'll be miserable for the rest of his life._

_He'll find himself another girl! Let him go!_

_He wouldn't. Just _look _at him! This is true love, Elphaba, and if you reject him now, you condemn him to an unhappy life without you!_

_Don't say it, Elphaba. Stay strong. Don't say it._

_Just say it already. You know you want to._

_Don't you dare say-_

'Because I _do_ love you!' she blurted out, effectively silencing both voices in her head. She immediately clamped both hands over her mouth in horror, but of course, he had heard her, and he stared at her with wide eyes. 'What?'

She shook her head wordlessly, hands still covering her mouth, but he placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her head a little to make her look at him. 'Fae? Did you just say…'

She shook her head again, but it wasn't convincing; and when she saw the look in his eyes, all her resolve melted away. How could she possibly refuse him anything?

'I…' She was stumbling over her own words. 'I don't…'

'Elphaba…' He caressed her cheek lovingly, making her shiver. 'Do you or do you not love me?'

_You might as well admit it now. You've already said it._

_You can still deny it!_

_Who are you kidding? He heard you perfectly clear. Just look at those eyes – can you really lie to him?_

No. She couldn't. 'I do,' she whispered, almost inaudibly.

The smile that broke through on his face nearly made her cry. He was beaming, and he looked so happy that she felt all her doubts melting away. She blinked a few times, horrified with herself, but at the same time relieved that she had finally said it out loud.

He moved closer to her, and she shivered again when she felt his breath caressing her face; then he leaned in closer and he pressed his lips to hers.

It was a soft, loving kiss, nothing like the fierce and passionate, almost hungry kisses they had shared before. She closed her eyes and melted into his kiss and his embrace, as she felt his arms sliding around her, pulling her closer to him. When they finally broke apart to breathe, she buried her face in the front of his tux, still feeling embarrassed with herself. What was she doing? She was being selfish. She couldn't do this…

But then she felt his fingers softly combing through her long black hair and she was lost once again. Selfish or not, he didn't really leave her much of a choice. She couldn't say no to him. She just couldn't.

And so she curled up against him, finally giving in.

* * *

'Hey, Captain Tiggular! I hope you learned your lesson and you'll- WHAT IN OZ?!' the lieutenant yelped, jumping away from the prison cell. Fiyero, who had been busy kissing Elphaba, her body flush against his and his hands tangled in her hair, jumped, and Elphaba shrieked and pulled away, hurriedly smoothing out her dress – or trying to, anyway. She tried to rearrange her wild and tangled hair, too, but that didn't work out too well, either. A few of the Gale Force soldiers were visibly trying not to laugh, and failing horribly; the lieutenant merely looked a bit sour. 'When I said I wanted you two to talk it out like regular adults,' he said crossly, 'I wasn't meaning, nor expecting, this.'

Fiyero grinned sheepishly at him. 'Well… At least we're not fighting anymore,' he offered, and the lieutenant sighed. 'Captain Tiggular, you can go now.'

He nodded. 'What about Fae?' Upon the lieutenant's questioning look, he gestured towards Elphaba, and the other man nodded. 'Ah. Well… there's been some research going on – you know, the regular; a few of my men have interrogated some of the guests at the ball yesterday – and there seems to have been a problem… she'll have to stay here just a bit longer.'

Fiyero's blood ran cold – had she been recognised? He looked back at Elphaba anxiously, but she waved him away. He approached her, however, taking her hands in his. 'Fae…'

She squeezed his hands. 'Meet me tonight at the Merchant's bar,' she whispered.

He looked worried. 'But…'

'Fiyero.' She held his gaze. 'Do you trust me?'

He hesitated for just the tiniest moment; then he nodded, and she pushed him away. 'Go.'

He made to leave, but just then, another Gale Force soldier came running through the aisle, looking frantic. He whispered something in the lieutenant's ear and the man paled visibly. 'The Wicked Witch of the West?!' he exclaimed aloud, sounding horrified.

Fiyero drew in his breath and Elphaba let out a string of colourful curses. The lieutenant pulled Fiyero away from the cell. 'Captain, you're free to go.'

Fiyero didn't understand right away what he meant. 'But…'

'She's not who you think she is,' the lieutenant told him gravely. 'She's the Wicked Witch of the West.'

Only then did the prince realise that they thought he didn't know. They thought _he _had thought that she was just a random girl he had been fighting with; they didn't even _suspect _that he had known all along that this girl was the Wicked Witch of the West.

He hesitated. Should he play along, or…

Elphaba was glaring at him. When he met her gaze, she arched an eyebrow and nodded her head towards the door. He didn't move, and she mouthed, 'Trust me', which finally convinced him.

As he made to leave, Elphaba walked up to the bars. 'So… how did you find out?'

'Some of the guests reported that they saw you using magic at the ball,' the lieutenant said. 'And then the green paint… it's not paint at all, is it?' The corners of his mouth turned upwards in a smirk. 'We've captured the infamous Wicked Witch of the West and we didn't even know it!'

She snarled. 'Well done.' She then muttered her favourite spell under her breath – the metal melting one – and managed to effectively deform the hinges of the cell door. With a well-placed kick to the door, she sent it flying into the small alley between the rows of cells. It knocked over quite a few of the Gale Force soldiers and with the other ones blinking in confusion for a moment, she dashed past them, through the aisle and past Fiyero, into the open. She muttered another spell under her breath and her broom came flying towards her.

Within a mere minute of the men finding out her true identity, she was already on her way back to the Resistance headquarters.

* * *

When she stepped inside, she was met with silence. Mey just looked at her; Glinda actually glared at her.

Elphaba put away her broom and approached her friend. 'Glin-'

'Not a word, Elphie,' the blonde growled, rising to her feet and taking her friend's arm, pulling her towards the staircase. 'I can't believe what you did yesterday. Your behaviour was extremely inappropriate – not to mention very dangerous – and I don't think one night in jail taught you a lesson. I think you should be locked in there for at least a _month_! What were you _thinking_?! You could have blown everything, you know that? You almost got yourself exposed! Not to mention the fact that it was a really, _really _childish thing you were doing there.'

'But Glinda-' Elphaba started to protest, but the blonde held up a hand to silence her. 'Not another word,' she said sternly. 'You're an idiot, Elphaba Thropp. I thought you prided yourself on your ability to keep in control of your emotions – of not even _showing_ them, no matter the circumstances. Well, I'm not so sure about that ability of yours anymore.' She knocked on Corrin's door. 'Corry, what was the new password again?' she called through the door. 'I forgot!'

A loud sigh was heard from within the room. 'Come in, Glinda.'

The blonde dragged her friend inside and patted her shoulder. 'You're in deep, deep trouble, Elphaba,' she said smugly before quickly disappearing from the room again.

Corrin leaned both hands on his desk and looked at the young witch in front of him. She fidgeted and shifted a little, clearly feeling uncomfortable. Corrin quirked an eyebrow at her. 'Well? Do you have anything to say?'

'I… got the ring?' she offered weakly, pulling the object from her bra, and Corrin sighed and leaned back in his chair. 'Oz, Elphaba…'

'I'm sorry, okay?' she burst out. 'I didn't mean to fly off the handle like that. It's just… Fiyero always drives me up the wall. He did back at Shiz and he can still do it now. It won't happen again, though. I promise.'

Corrin eyed her warily. 'How can you promise me that?'

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips, but she tried to suppress it. 'Well…' She fidgeted with the hem of her dress. 'We kind of… admitted we loved each other last night.'

'I see,' said Corrin drily. 'You decided to declare your undying love for each other while you were locked in a dungeon together?'

She flashed him a mischievous grin. 'You know me. I'm not a traditional girl.'

'You could say that,' he sighed. He rubbed his temples. 'Sweet Oz, Elphaba…' He shook his head. 'Sometimes I don't know what to do with you.'

'Who does?' she said a bit too lightly, and he scowled at her. 'Elphaba, you know I care about you, but you can't go on avoiding the rules constantly. You do an amazing job when I ask you to, but things like this just can't happen again. You could endanger us all by losing control like that. I heard you even had a magical outburst! Did they figure out your identity?'

She grimaced. 'Yeah… they did.'

He sighed. 'That's what I was afraid of,' he muttered. He ran his fingers through his coffee-coloured hair. 'I won't give you any assignments for now,' he said. 'Just lay low, okay? I don't need you causing another commotion. I don't think you're in any more danger of people recognising you – assuming they didn't get a very close look at you?'

Elphaba shook her head. 'I'm sure they didn't pay much attention to my appearance before, and when they found out, we were still in the dungeons. It was dark down there and I was gone really quickly. I don't think I'll stand out too much.'

'Still,' said Corrin earnestly, 'I want you to stay out of trouble for now. Don't venture into town too much. Don't fly on that broom of yours. Don't do anything to draw attention to yourself.'

Elphaba saluted. 'Aye aye, sir.'

Corrin looked irritable. 'Don't call me 'sir'.'

The green girl just grinned at him. 'Aye aye, Ma'am.'

Corrin threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. 'Why do I even bother?'

* * *

**So, the chapter's title - and does anyone recognise the final few lines of this chapter? :) Virtual hugs and candy for those of you who know the answer to either question!**


	12. Chapter 12 Like A Strike Of Thunder

**AN: Fiyeraba fluffles! Don't worry, it won't last long *smirk*. I just needed a chapter (or a few chapters) to show that Elphie and Fiyero are slowly growing closer together, and she is opening up to him.**

**Kudos to Elphaba-WWW and stagemanagertargaryen for guessing the origin of the previous chapter's title! (Sorry, Fae Tiggular, Googling it doesn't earn you a prize :P.) It was indeed the title of a song from Sister Act, sung by Sweaty Eddie (or, as it is translated in Dutch, Wet Harry, which I think sounds gross). You'll find more Sister Act references along the way - as you all know, I've seen it recently and I'm currently listening to the songs almost non-stop :D.**

**The 'yes sir - don't call me sir - yes ma'am' lines were from NCIS, an interaction between Abby and Gibbs. Just search 'ncis don't call me sir' on YouTube and it should pop up :).**

* * *

**Chapter 12. Like A Strike Of Thunder**

Fiyero had been sitting at the bar for hours on end. He had ordered a drink, but instead of downing it, he was just stirring it endlessly. Several people threw him sympathising looks when they passed by; even though they had no idea what was going on, he supposed he looked miserable.

Every time the door opened, his eyes slowly shifted towards it, but it wouldn't be her and he would stare back at his drink. Stirring and stirring and stirring. Round and round and round. What if she had been captured? He had seen her getting away on her broom, but what if they had shot her down or something?

Or perhaps she had just stood him up. He considered that possibility for a moment. Perhaps she regretted what had happened the previous night, and she didn't want to see him again. It didn't seem unlikely. With her, he knew he could expect anything.

He looked at the time. Almost ten. She hadn't mentioned a time, so she could still come. Perhaps she was just being careful, taking detours or something as to not get caught…

Just then, the door opened again and his eyes slowly drifted towards it, then widened. The small spoon clattered back in his glass and he leapt to his feet. 'Fae!'

She smiled a bit wearily at him. 'Hi. Sorry it took me so long… I had a hard time getting away from Glinda without her noticing.'

He went to embrace her, but her eyes darted around the room nervously and she gently pushed him away. 'Not here. Come on.'

'I could take you to my place,' he offered, and she hesitated, then relented. 'Sure. At least no one will be able to recognise me there… After what happened last night, I have to be careful.'

He nodded and took her hand. She didn't protest and he led her through the dark streets of the still buzzing Emerald City, towards his home.

Elphaba looked around on the way, wrinkling her nose. 'Do these people ever sleep?' she wondered out loud, and Fiyero laughed softly. 'Never,' he told her. 'It must be a huge difference with Munchkinland,' he mused, and her face darkened a little as he felt her tense.

'It is,' was all she said, and he didn't push it. He understood that it must be hard for her to talk about her home, and he knew it would take him time to really, _truly _get her to trust him.

He took her to his home and closed the door behind him. When he turned to face her, she was hugging herself, looking uncertain for what he imagined to be the first time in years. 'So…' she said a bit awkwardly, shifting her weight from one foot to the other and back again.

Before she could say anything else, he pulled her into his arms. Much to his surprise, he felt her relax almost immediately as she laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. 'Are you okay?' he murmured against her hair. 'I was afraid that they might have gotten to you after all.'

She snorted. 'As if. I could have gotten away from them blindfolded and with my hands tied behind my back.'

He chuckled and gingerly ran his fingers through her hair, relishing in the feel of it. He felt her sigh and he slowly leaned forward to kiss her softly. 'I missed you.'

She didn't argue, though she did find it slightly ridiculous that he would have missed her after having been apart for a mere day. On the other hand… if he really did love her and had spent the past two years looking for her, she could imagine that to him, every day he spent away from her was a day too many. And he hadn't been sure if she had escaped; that probably contributed as well.

'So… what now?' she asked when he pulled away again. 'What's going to happen now?'

He took her hand, lacing his fingers with hers, and gazed down into her dark brown eyes. 'I just want to be with you,' he said solemnly. 'That's all I really care about.'

She nodded, all business suddenly. 'Okay. I can do that. But we'll need to settle some things first.'

He took her to the kitchen, making them both a cup of coffee before sitting down at the table opposite her. She was already writing things down and he quirked an eyebrow. 'What are you doing?'

'Working out conditions,' she said, and he let out an incredulous laugh. 'What? Conditions?'

She nodded seriously. 'Yes. Conditions.' She took the cup of coffee from him and gently blew in it before taking a sip.

He was eyeing her a bit warily. 'What kind of conditions?'

She sighed and set her cup down. 'Fiyero,' she said, not unfriendly. 'I want to be with you, too. I really do. But I can't just turn my back on everything and run away with you or something.'

He opened his mouth to protest, but she was faster. 'You told me that being with me was all you really cared about.'

He shut his mouth again, because he _had _said that, and he'd meant it, too. 'Okay. Conditions. Bring it on.'

She had to smile at that. 'Okay.' She glanced down at her note for a moment. 'First of all, I want you to keep your job as Captain of the Gale Force and you will continue to pretend that you're hunting me.'

'Do I have to pretend?' he teased her, and she suggestively arched one eyebrow at him. 'Who knows?' she replied with an impish grin. 'I might just let you catch me.'

He laughed. 'For real, though. Why do you want me to keep on hunting you?' he wanted to know. She shrugged. 'Because I don't want you to throw your entire life away for me,' she said matter-of-factly. 'There's no need for you to, and we don't want to raise suspicion, now do we? It would be strange if you would so easily discard the job you've been working so hard to get for the past two years.'

He nodded slowly. 'That sounds reasonable.'

'You know me. My middle name is reasonable.'

He smirked at her. 'So that's what you'd call your behaviour at the ball last night? Reasonable?'

She flushed. 'Shut up,' she growled before moving on to the next point on her list, and he chuckled softly.

She looked up at him again, and this time, her face was serious. 'Fiyero, I'm going to keep my own job as well.'

He opened and closed his mouth a few times. Then he said carefully, 'Fae…'

'Yero.' She held his gaze. 'This is my job. This is what I do. I'm saving Animals, I'm saving _people_. I'm doing what I can to make Oz a better place, and I know you don't like the means by which I sometimes do that, but in certain circumstances, those things are necessary. I'm not giving it up. Not even for you.'

'I'm not asking you to,' he said immediately, and she smiled at him in reply, a little relieved. He bit his lip. 'I just…' He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. 'I hate seeing you like that. Now probably more than ever.'

'I know.' She took his hand and squeezed it. 'But I never go far with them, Yero. It's merely a distraction technique – try to think of it as being such. A distraction technique. Nothing more, nothing less.'

'I don't know if I can see it as such,' he admitted, and she brought their joined hands to her lips, gently kissing his knuckles. 'It never means anything, Yero. Just remember that my heart lies with you. Always.'

He smiled a little. 'You're really warming up to me, aren't you?' he asked her. 'The Elphaba I know would never say such things.'

She blushed and shrugged. 'Well… I had a lot of time to think things over,' she muttered. 'I've been in love with you ever since Shiz, too… I just couldn't admit it. Not to myself and not to anyone else, because I thought it could never be.'

'Because you're a fugitive?' he asked gently, and she looked at him as if he'd said something really stupid. 'Because I'm _green_,' she said pointedly, and he stared at her, baffled. 'You can't possibly mean that.'

She snorted. 'Fiyero, get real here. I was – am – the green girl. The artichoke. The abomination. You're the handsome prince. I never thought I even stood a chance with you – you were supposed to be with Glinda, the blonde princess, not with… well… _me_.'

He squeezed her hand to the point where it was almost painful. 'I don't want to hear you talking about yourself like that,' he said fiercely. 'You're not an artichoke or an abomination. Yes, you're green, but that doesn't mean anything. Oz, Fae, did you really think I would never love you because of your green skin?'

She shrugged. 'Among other things. The creepy magical powers, the sarcasm, the tendency to cause a commotion anywhere I go… I'm not princess material, Fiyero. Not at all.'

'I'm not looking for princess material,' he told her, taking both her hands now over the table. 'I was looking for something I knew I could never find with anyone but you.'

'What was that?' she whispered, and he squeezed her hands again, but this time affectionately. 'Love.'

She could only look at him, her brown eyes wide, and he smiled. 'Still don't believe me, do you? That's alright. We'll work on that.'

She shook her head, slowly. 'I don't understand any of this,' she declared. 'I don't understand how you can love me. I don't have the faintest clue as to how you could just barge into my life again and bring out everything in me that I had spent the past two years hiding away – every feeling I forbade myself to feel, every thought I couldn't let myself think. And then you tell me you love me and suddenly, I'm kissing you and telling you I'm loving you back, and I'm not even sure what I'm doing,' she confessed. 'It's like I just can't control myself around you and I hate it. I hate not being in control. I'm always in control. _Always_.'

He chuckled. 'You don't _have _to be in control, Fae. It's okay to let go every now and then.'

She was shaking her head frantically. 'No, it's not. Not for me! I've told you about my life, Fiyero – in my world, I just can't afford to not be in control. If I'm not in control, it means I can easily get hurt, or kidnapped, or killed… to me, it's _dangerous _not to be in control. Literally. And yet with you, I don't mind. I hate it, but I love it at the same time, and I just can't help myself… there's this little voice in the back of my head screaming at me that you could just be using me, that you could plunge a knife into my back any moment now, that that would be my punishment for not staying alert at all times, but you know what? I wouldn't even care. If you killed me here on the spot, I wouldn't care. I don't know why, but it's true, and it scares and confuses me to no end.'

He rose to his feet and moved around the table, kneeling down in front of her, looking into her unreadable dark eyes. 'Fae… I would never kill you.'

She let out a sound that was something between a sob and a laugh. 'And I believe you. See what you're doing to me? I haven't believed a person merely on his word since… well… ever, I guess. Not even Glinda or our leader. No one. But when you tell me something, I just accept it as the truth without further question.'

He smiled. 'I love you.'

She sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck. 'I love you, too,' she murmured, and he lifted her in his arms and carried her upstairs bridal style. She started to squirm when he headed towards his bedroom. 'Fiyero, I don't-'

He shushed her. 'If everything I say is so believable to you, then _believe me _when I say I'm not going to push you into anything you're not comfortable with. You don't even have to stay here, if you don't want to – you could go home.'

She bit her lip uncertainly. Returning to her current home – and facing a murderous Glinda – didn't sound too appealing to her. 'I do want to stay.'

He grinned broadly. 'I was hoping you'd say that. But you can take the guest room, if you want to – or you can sleep in my room, it's more luxurious, and I'll sleep in the guest bedroom myself-'

'Fiyero.' She cut him off by pressing her finger against his lips. 'It's fine. Really. If I can share a cot with you in a prison cell, I can share a bed with you here, okay?'

He smiled at her and led her inside. 'You can borrow a shirt of mine to sleep in.'

She disappeared into the bathroom to change and when she came out again, his eyes widened. 'Wow,' he breathed, and she fidgeted with the hem of the shirt. 'What? Yeah, I know, I probably look ridiculous, but-'

'You look beautiful,' he assured her, taking her hands and kissing her fingers one by one. She scowled at him and he continued, 'even more beautiful than you did last night in that amazing dress of yours. You caught every man's eye, did you know that? You definitely were the most beautiful woman in the room.'

She sniffed. 'Of course I was.'

He trapped her hands against his chest. 'You were,' he told her earnestly. 'You're beautiful, Fae, and I love you. If I had a say in it, you would be wearing my shirts every day,' he added with a mischievous grin, and she chortled. 'Sorry, Yero, but I don't plan on going out into the streets dressed like this.'

'Who said you'd have to go out into the streets?' he murmured, starting to kiss the soft skin of her neck. 'You could stay here for the rest of your life.'

She squirmed under his touch. 'Fiyero-'

'Sorry.' He pulled away and she sighed, running her fingers through her long tangled hair. 'No, _I _am sorry. I'm just a bit… jumpy, I suppose.'

'I can't blame you,' he said, moving a bit closer again. She sighed and leaned into him, suddenly exhausted. He noticed and led her to the bed. 'Are you sure you don't mind…' he began, but she cut him off. 'I'm sure.'

He nodded. She crawled under the blankets and he lied down at the other side of the bed. 'Night, Yero.'

'Sweet dreams, Fae,' he whispered, watching her as she curled up on her side, her back towards him, and slowly drifted off to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13 The Fish Ate The Glasses

**AN: This chapter's title probably doesn't make sense to you at all :P. Don't worry, you'll see what it refers to once you've read a bit of the chapter ^_^.**

**Just a little more fluff, and another nice interaction between Elphie, Glin and Corrin... Next chapter will be a little more... action. Or drama. Haven't decided yet.**

* * *

**Chapter 13. The Fish Ate The Glasses**

When he opened his eyes, she was watching him.

She'd woken up early, and she had turned to face him, only to find him still fast asleep. She'd traced the contours of his face, lightly as not to wake him, and she'd studied him, his features, the way he slept. She guessed he had been dreaming, because every now and then, he had wrinkled his nose or frowned a little in his sleep.

She still wasn't sure what in Oz possessed her to behave like this, to let him in so easily. She knew for a fact, however, that she loved him; and she didn't even really care about the consequences anymore. Until now, her work had been the most important thing in her life – save for Glinda, perhaps; but Glinda now had Corrin, and they were happy together. Though the blonde was still her best friend, Elphaba felt like she needed something greater, something bigger, something that was completely and wholly hers. That's why she had buried herself in her work, trying to be the best one, the superior one, to make her feel like she had a purpose. She was doing good, and that felt amazing.

But then Fiyero had come along, and now… now she finally had that one thing that was hers. Not Glinda's, not Corrin's, not anyone else's; just hers. And she loved it. Despite the contentment she found in her job, this was what really mattered. This was what she had really been looking for, all this time. And though it scared her to no end, she didn't want to run away again. She'd done enough of that already. She wasn't a coward and she wouldn't behave like one.

And so she hadn't sneaked off in the middle of the night. She'd stayed with him, and she was still there when he woke up. And the look in his azure blue eyes when he did, when he sleepily opened them and realised she was still there, convinced her that it had been the right decision. A smile slowly made its way onto his face, and she played with his fingers, bringing them to her lips and kissing them one by one.

His eyes fluttered shut for a moment before opening again. 'You're still here,' he whispered.

'You didn't expect me to be?' she asked teasingly, and he shook his head. 'Honestly? No.'

She smiled mischievously. 'Me neither.'

He had to smile at that. 'For real?'

She shrugged, moving her hand to play with the fabric of his shirt. 'I meant what I said yesterday,' she said finally. 'I have no idea what you're doing to me. I wanted to sneak off and leave you here, I really did. Run away, pretend this never happened, go on with my life.' She shrugged. 'I couldn't. The moment I saw your face – no, worse even, the moment I _thought _of your face – the idea was wiped from my mind.'

He took her fingers, kissing them one by one. 'I'm glad you didn't leave.'

She sighed and moved a bit closer, so that their noses were touching, and she rubbed her nose against his. 'Me, too.'

He kissed her then, and she kissed him back, gripping his shirt with both hands to pull him closer to her. She rested her forehead against his, her breath coming out in small gasps. 'I love you.'

'I love you, too,' he whispered, before kissing her again. Then she got a look at the time and she pulled away and cursed softly. 'Shiz. I was supposed to meet… our leader in the morning.'

'Corrin?' asked Fiyero, and her head whipped around. 'How do you-'

'Glinda,' he said with a grin, and Elphaba grunted. 'Of course. Glinda. Blabbermouth. And then she reprimands _me _for getting a bit… carried away at a ball.'

He quirked an eyebrow at her. '"Carried away"?'

She glared at him. 'Not a word, Tiggular.' He chuckled and she climbed out of the bed, getting dressed. 'I have to go. I'll be back… later, I suppose.'

He was watching her, his sapphire eyes unreadable. 'I should hope so.'

She smiled and kissed the top of his head before she left. 'I'll come back tonight, okay? It's not safe for me to travel in the daylight right now, after the whole Wicked Witch-fiasco in the dungeons… it's bad enough that I have to venture outside _now_,' she muttered, looking out the window, and he eyed her worriedly. 'Shouldn't you just stay here?'

She shook her head. 'I'll be fine.' She gave him a reassuring smile, then almost floated out of the room.

He grunted and fell back against the mattress. He hoped she was right.

* * *

With her cloak pulled tightly around her, she managed to make her way back to the headquarters, and she knocked on Corrin's door. 'Corry!' she whined in a rather impressive imitation of Glinda. 'I forgot the password again!'

'Come in, Glin.'

She grinned and stepped inside, and he scowled at her when he saw that it was her. 'Elphaba…'

'Got you there.' She plopped down in the chair opposite his desk. 'Reporting for duty, sir- excuse me, I mean Ma'am, of course.'

He glared at her. 'The password is-'

'"My reading glasses have been eaten by the treacherous Fish". I know, _Corry_. I remember. I just never bother saying it because you let me in anyway.' She put her legs up on his desk, earning her yet another glare from him, and smirked. 'Though I didn't know Morrible ate people's reading glasses.'

'Mor-' It dawned on him then and he rolled his eyes. 'Very funny.'

She chuckled. 'I thought it was.' She tilted her head to the side thoughtfully. 'If Morrible ate someone's reading glasses, she would probably choke, right? Because, you know, that would spare us the trouble of-'

'_Elphaba_.'

'Right. Business. Yes. Okay.' She looked at him expectantly, but just as he opened his mouth, someone burst through the door. 'Corry! Corry, Elphie never came home last night and- _Elphie_!´

'Hi, Glin.'

The blonde scowled. 'Elphaba Thropp, where have you _been_?! I was worried sick about you!'

Corrin leaned forward in interest. 'Yes, _Elphie_, where did you stay during the night?'

'Did you get kidnapped?'

'Were you hiding from Glinda?'

The blonde scowled at her boyfriend, poking out her tongue. Then her face brightened and she squealed. 'Elphie! Were you with Fiyero?!'

'Ah, Fiyero,' said Corrin understandingly. 'The man who stalked you, after which you tried to make him jealous by tongue wrestling with another man, after which you two started chunking plates at one another, after which you spend a night in the dungeons together, where you both declared your undying love for each other? That Fiyero?'

Elphaba was blushing furiously, trying to disappear in her chair, but failing. '_Yes_. That Fiyero. And yes, I was with him.'

Glinda squealed again. 'Elphie!' She perched on top of Corrin's desk and wobbled her legs. 'Tell me everything!'

'No!'

'El-phie!'

'Glin-da! I have a private life! I don't ask you about your relationship with _Corry_, do I?'

Glinda beamed at her. 'Our relationship is going great! I love him and he's sweet and romantic and buys me stuff and surprises me and we do it, like, ten times a day!'

'Glinda!' cried Elphaba, horrified. 'I didn't want to know that!'

'And I didn't want Elphaba to know that!' Corrin joined in, just as mortified. 'And it's not ten times a day!'

Glinda winked at him. 'It was last Saturday.'

He went beet red, and Elphaba hid her face behind her hands. 'I'm not listening.'

'Your turn, Elphie!'

'No.'

'Come on!'

'No!'

'How many times did you and Fiyero do it so far?'

'_Glinda_!'

'I won't go away until you tell me!'

Elphaba glared at her friend from between her fingers. 'Never, okay?' she snapped. 'We've never done it.'

Glinda gaped at her. 'Never?' Then something dawned on her. 'Elphie… have you _ever_-'

'No! Okay? Never. Not once. And I'm not planning on doing it in the near future, either.' She rose to her feet, her face flushed with embarrassment. 'Can I go now?'

'No!' Glinda protested, tugging her friend's arm. 'Tell me about Fiyero! Is he sweet? Adorable? Does he treat you well? Does he love you? Does he say cute things?'

Elphaba groaned. 'Yes.'

Glinda squealed. 'And you, Elphie? Do you love him?'

Elphaba, realising she wasn't going to get out of this one anytime soon, sank back into her chair with a sigh. 'Yes.'

Another squeal. 'I know what that feels like! I love Corry, too! What does it feel like, Elphie? When you're with him?'

'Honestly?'

Glinda nodded, eagerly moving closer as to not miss anything of Elphaba's answer.

'He makes me feel like blubbering green goo.'

Glinda wrinkled her nose. 'Elphie, that's not very romantic.'

Elphaba chuckled. 'Maybe not. But it's true.'

Glinda sighed. 'You're hopeless.'

'Or so I've been told.'

'And I'm still mad at you for what you did at the ball.'

'Corrin, could you just tell me what you wanted to tell me so I can go?' begged Elphaba, and Corrin rolled his eyes. 'Oz, you two are horrendible,' he muttered, sighing as he picked up his reading glasses and perched them on his nose. Glinda eyed them in interest. 'I thought Morrible ate those.'

Elphaba snorted with laughter and Glinda joined in with her characteristic giggles, while Corrin just made a sour face. 'Girls, _please_-'

'Do you get it?' Glinda giggled, looking at the green girl. 'Morrible, and the new password, and-'

'I know, Glin,' said Elphaba, chortling. 'I said the same thing when I came in just now.'

Glinda giggled again. 'We're rubbing off on one another. Great minds think alike, something like that?'

Corrin buried his face in his hands, shaking his head. 'Great minds…'

'Corry,' Glinda interrupted him. 'With passwords like those, you're just _asking _for it. Why can't you make up something less… funny?' she finished, giggling once again. He sighed. '_Because_, Glin, it's supposed to be something no outsider could ever accidentally guess.'

'Then make up something complicated,' she whined. 'Don't start about Goats getting milked and Fish eating glasses!' That sent Elphaba into another fit of laughter, and a smile was even tugging at Corrin's lips when he replied, 'Glin, you can barely remember the password as it is. If I'd made the password something even _more _complicated, you'd never remember it.'

Glinda thought about that for a moment. 'True,' she acknowledged. 'Never mind, then.'

Corrin looked at Elphaba. 'Elphaba… All I wanted to say was that when this Wicked Witch of the West-craze has passed,' at this, he glared at her, which she pretended not to notice, 'I have another important assignment for the two of you.'

'What kind of assignment?' asked Elphaba, and Corrin looked at her seriously. 'It's actually a mission that consists of multiple assignments, really. I need you to get some things from several people, there's also some… _elimination _involved… it's rather important. I'll give you the details later, but are you up to it?'

'Of course,' said Elphaba, and Glinda nodded. 'I guess.'

'"I guess" is not good enough, Glin,' Corrin pointed out, and the blonde nodded reluctantly. 'Okay. I'm in.'

'Good.' He waved them away. 'You may go now. I'll call for you again later. And Elphaba?' he called when she was already at the door. She turned. 'Yes?'

'Don't let that Fiyero guy distract you too much,' he warned her, and she sniffed. 'Just like Glin doesn't get distracted by you?'

He flushed a little. 'That's not-'

She rolled her eyes. 'As you wish, _Ma'am_,' she said sarcastically, before closing the door behind her.

* * *

Fiyero barely ate anything that night. Even though she had told him not to, he still worried sick about Elphaba; everyone was on the lookout for her right now. What if she had gotten caught?

He spent the rest of the evening pacing up and down in his study, moving down to the kitchen to eat something, realising he wasn't hungry and returning to his pacing – in the kitchen this time – before moving to the living room to stare out of the window. He moved throughout the entire house, wanting to do something useful but just don't finding the concentration for it, until finally, with a sigh, he decided to go to bed. It was late already and Elphaba hadn't shown up; perhaps she would still come, or perhaps she found herself unable to come. He tried not to worry too much. Maybe she was taking a detour to prevent herself from being followed. Maybe she couldn't get away from Glinda. Maybe she had received a last-minute assignment for the Resistance she needed to carry out tonight. Maybe she'd decided that she was better off without him after all and wouldn't she come back.

Or maybe she had been hurt. Raped. Kidnapped. Murdered-

He called himself to order. If she wouldn't come, he would go and look for her in the morning; he wouldn't worry until there was any real reason to.

When he passed the door of his study, however, the hairs at the back of his neck stood on end and he stopped. Something was wrong.

He took a deep breath and pressed his ear to the wood. He could hear someone moving around inside, a person breathing, and a shiver travelled down his spine. Thoughts flashed through his mind. Had someone found out that he and Elphaba were together? That he was sympathising with the Wicked Witch of the West? Was that someone here to gather evidence, or even to kill him?

He went to fetch a baseball bat from a room down the hall and went back to the study door. Readying the bat, he kicked open the door. 'Get out of my house!' he yelled, swinging the bat around.

The room was dark, but he could see the silhouette of a person ducking away to dodge the bat. Before he knew it, the person had yanked the bat out of his grip and he was on his stomach on the floor, a foot digging in his back. 'Is that how you usually greet a guest, Tiggular?' an amused voice asked from above him. 'Because then it makes sense that you don't have visitors very often.'

He blinked a few times before he realised who exactly this person was. '_Elphaba_?!'

'If I let you go, am I in danger of receiving a blow to my head with a baseball bat?'

He blushed a little. 'No. Of course not.'

'Good.' She released him and smirked down at him. 'Good to see you, too.'

He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. 'You scared me to death, Fae. I thought you were an intruder or something.'

She chuckled. 'Well, it's good to know you're being careful.'

He wrapped her in his arms. 'I was worried about you.'

She sighed a bit irritably. 'Yero, you really need to stop that,' she told him sternly. 'If we're going to be together, I don't want you to worry about me all the time. I'm a big girl. I made it on my own so far and I can take care of myself. I don't need you to babysit me and I hate it when you hover all the time.'

'I do that because I care about you!' he protested, and she kissed his nose. 'I know. And it's very much appreciated. Just… don't do it.'

He grumbled a little, but gave in as she kissed him, unable to deny her anything. He rested her forehead against hers. 'Are you staying?'

She nodded. 'All night.' She kissed him. 'And then all day.' She kissed him again. 'And then all night again.'

His face brightened. 'Really?'

She smiled and nodded again. 'Really. No Resistance stuff until the end of the week… Only then I'll be gone for quite a while,' she warned him. 'There's this big thing coming up, and Glin and I will be busy with it. I don't know when I'll be finished, but I'll let you know.'

He didn't like that and he wasn't afraid to tell her. 'Fae, I don't-'

'Don't, Fiyero,' she said tiredly. 'Just don't. I'm going to do this.'

He sighed. 'I know. I just don't want you to get hurt.'

'I'll be careful,' she promised, but he shook his head. 'That's not enough. I wish I could come…' Suddenly, his eyes widened and she could almost _see _a light bulb appearing above his head. '…with you.'

'Oh, no.' She shook her head, jabbing her fingers in his chest. 'Fiyero Tiggular, I know there's a brain hidden deep down in there – I suggest you use it.'

'I _am _using it!' he protested, taking her hands in his. 'Fae, it's perfect! If I join the Resistance, too-'

'Corrin would never let you.'

'Why not? I thought you said-'

'Okay, fine, _I _would never let you,' she snapped, pulling her hands out of his grasp. 'I won't let you endanger yourself like that, Yero. I won't.'

'Why not?' he wanted to know. '_You _endanger yourself like that all the time.'

She didn't have an answer to that.

'And I'm a big boy,' he threw her own words back at her. 'I made it on my own so far and I can take care of myself.'

She glared at him.

'Fae…' He looked at her solemnly. 'I want to do what you do. I don't want to pretend to hate you and the Resistance anymore. I want to do something that _really _matters.'

She sighed. 'Fiyero…'

'Please?'

She sighed again, but finally relented. 'Alright,' she said quietly. 'I'll talk to Corrin in the morning.'


	14. Chapter 14 Who Better Than Me

**AN: Buon giorno, les mias bellas! (I'm not sure if that was correct. The truth is that the only Italian words I know are 'Ciao' and things that are food. Pizza, ravioli, lasagna. But I'm trying to learn while I'm here.)**

**Anyway, as you can see, I have wifi here :D. It works great, actually, so I don't have to sit out in the hallway with my laptop, which is nice. Oh and for those of you who were wondering what on earth I'm doing on while I'm in Italy: no matter how sad or pathetic that may be, I seriously can't go two whole weeks without writing anything. Especially since inspiration strikes all the time in a new environment. And since we usually spend some time before breakfast and before bedtime in our room, I can write. Hence, an update :D.**

**So far Italy is great, by the way. I just had the most amazing coconut flavoured ice cream I've _ever _had in my life. Yum. And it's really beautiful out here, and thank Oz my food poisoning adventure has officially ended, so I can eat whatever I want again without immediately starting to feel sick. Yay.**

**Don't expect _too _many updates. I already had most of this chapter written, so it wasn't a big deal to finish it and post it today, but I don't know how many updates I can manage while I'm here. Still, I'm glad I can write and update at all.**

**Brownie points to those who recognise the title of this chapter and know the musical it's from.**

* * *

**Chapter 14. Who Better Than Me**

She knocked on the door, called, 'Elphaba reporting for duty, Ma'am,' through it and strode into the room, only to find Corrin banging his head on his desk in utter exasperation. She smirked. 'Good morning to you, too.'

'Elphaba, this has to stop!' he cried. 'What's wrong with just _saying the password_?!'

She shrugged. 'What does it matter?'

He grumbled. 'That's it. I'm going to assign a guard to stand outside my door and I'm going to tell him to not let _anyone _in unless they say the password – not even you.'

'I don't understand why you didn't do that right away,' she pointed out, and he huffed. 'I have Mey for that. And Vuwor, of course.' He was talking about the giant Bear that worked with Mey. Usually, he stayed out of sight; Mey knew every Resistance member by name and looks and decided who could come in and who couldn't. In case she encountered trouble, or a person trying to get in that _wasn't _a Resistance member, Vuwor was there to keep both the Sheep and their leader upstairs safe.

'Never mind,' said Elphaba. 'That's not why I wanted to talk to you. I want to ask you a favour.'

He nodded. 'Ask away.'

'Fiyero wants to join us.'

Corrin's face brightened. 'Really? That's wonderful!'

Elphaba gave him an incredulous look. 'Um, _no_, it's not!' she stressed.

'Yes, it is!' Corrin leaned forward. 'Think about it. Do you have any idea of how much use he could be to us? He's the Captain of the Guard! He could act as a spy, report back to us… it's brilliant!'

Elphaba stared at him as if he had lost his mind. 'Corrin, you can't possibly be serious.'

He quirked an eyebrow at her. 'What was the favour you wanted to ask me, then? Not to let him in?'

'Of course not!' she snapped. 'I don't want him to endanger himself like that! I want you to go down there – yes, he's waiting downstairs – and tell him that he can't possibly join us – just make up some reason as to why that is, I don't care, but you can't allow him in!'

'You promised you wouldn't let the man distract you!'

'I'm not!'

'Yes, you are!' Corrin rose to his feet. 'You're looking at this from the perspective of his lover, not a Resistance member!'

She cringed. 'Oh, please don't say 'lover',' she begged him. 'I absolutely _loathe _that word.'

He chuckled. 'Girlfriend, then.'

She made a face – that wasn't much better – but decided that there were more important things to discuss. 'Corrin, in case you forgot, I _am _his girlfriend – lover – whatever. I love him!'

'I know that! But Elphaba, you know as well as I do that your work has nothing to do with you being his girlfriend, nor with you loving him. This is bigger than the two of you. I understand that it's hard for you to accept that the man you're in love with endangers himself, but for _us_, this is such good news! Imagine everything he could do for us!'

Now she rose to her feet as well. 'No!' she snarled. 'I won't have any of it!'

'Well, too bad,' he retorted. 'Because I'm going down there right now to tell him that I would gladly welcome him into our team.'

Elphaba stared at him, horrified. 'You can't do that!'

'I'm the leader of the Resistance. Of course I can.'

'You're also my friend! You _can't_!'

'Watch me.' He made his way over to the door, stepping outside and starting to descend the stairs. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it and sprang to her feet, running after him. He had just reached the foot of the stairs and was walking towards Fiyero, who was sitting in a chair in the corner, when Elphaba got to him. She jumped onto Corrin's back, causing them both to topple over.

'Elphaba!' cried Corrin, trying to wrench himself from her grip, but she was on top of him and she was pinning him down. 'No, you don't!'

Corrin, still better trained than she was – or at the very least for a longer time – swiped her off of him and went to scramble back to his feet, but Elphaba caught his ankles and clung to him, not letting him go. '_Don't do this, Corrin_!'

'Elphaba, you're being ridiculous!'

'And you're being the worst friend _ever_!'

Fiyero was staring at the duo with his jaw literally down. 'Do they always behave like this?' he whispered to Mey, who chuckled. 'Well, she doesn't usually attack him physically,' the Sheep commented drily, 'but I can't really say this surprises me, either. You could say that Corrin and Elphaba have a very… _special _relationship.'

'Fiyero!' Corrin called from the floor. 'I just came to tell you that I would be glad to- _oomph_!' Elphaba had climbed on top of him again and had kneed him in the stomach, and now she was clamping both hands over his mouth. She smiled sweetly at Fiyero. 'Sorry, Yero, but they're not in need of any more members at the moment.'

Fiyero arched and eyebrow. Corrin wiggled himself free and shoved Elphaba, causing her to land on the wooden floor with a thump. 'I don't _believe_ you!' he said incredulously, and she glared at him. 'I won't speak to you again if you do this.'

Corrin turned towards Fiyero. 'Fiyero-'

'I mean it.'

'I know you do.' He ignored the green girl on the floor. 'Fiyero, I'm happy to have you join us, if that's what you really want.'

His face brightened. 'Really? Thanks, Corrin!'

Corrin frowned. 'How do you know my name?'

Fiyero grinned. 'Glinda.'

Corrin sighed. 'Of course.' He turned towards Elphaba, who turned away from him with a huff. He sighed again and turned to face the prince again. 'She didn't want me to let you in, because she's afraid you will get hurt.'

Fiyero scowled at her. 'Fae…'

She crossed her arms defiantly, remaining silent.

Corrin shook Fiyero's hand. 'Welcome, Fiyero. Why don't you come upstairs and we can discuss everything we need to?'

The prince nodded and followed the Resistance leader upstairs. Elphaba stayed where she was, feeling her heart sink.

Mey approached her, patting her hand consolingly. 'Come on, Elphaba. He'll be fine.'

'I hate Corrin,' she hissed, and Mey laughed. 'I've heard that before.'

'I mean it this time. And I'm not going to talk to him again.'

Mey just chuckled again. 'Oh, Elphaba. You know as well as I do that Fiyero could be of great value to us, and-'

'I don't care, Mey! He's also of great value to _me_! I can't lose him!'

'And you won't.' Mey laid her hoof on the green girl's shoulder. 'He'll be fine.'

Just then, Corrin and Fiyero came down again, Fiyero beaming. 'Guess what, Fae? I got my first assignment!'

'Yay,' she grumbled, and he gave her a look, which she ignored. Corrin nodded to them both. 'I'll see you both in a few days. Have a good day.'

'You, too,' said Fiyero cheerfully. Elphaba just glared at Corrin, which he chose to ignore.

* * *

The next time she and Fiyero made their way to Corrin's room, Elphaba stopped dead in her tracks when she caught sight of the door. 'You've _got _to be kidding me.'

The huge, muscular man blocking the door to Corrin's office – he was at least two heads taller than Elphaba was and about four times as big – grinned at them. 'Password, please.'

'I thought he was joking when he said he would hire a guard.'

'He obviously wasn't.'

Elphaba shifted her weight to her right leg and placed a hand on her hip defiantly, raising her chin. 'Do you want to bet that I can come in without having to say the password?' she challenged the giant man.

Behind her, Fiyero sighed. 'Fae, why don't you just say the damn password?'

'Shush, Fiyero.'

He sighed again, but complied. The guard looked down at Elphaba, unimpressed. 'I'll give you ten pieces of silver if you succeed.'

She shook his hand. 'Deal.' Then she pulled a few small pieces of paper from her pockets, quickly reading through them before she found the one she needed. She smiled sweetly at the guard, then muttered under her breath, '_Aerum Consales Frah._' Immediately, the guard was thrown upwards, hit the ceiling, and stayed there, sticking to it as if it was covered in superglue. 'You owe me ten pieces of silver,' she called up to him before moving on to the door, leaving the guard staring down at her with wide eyes.

'Why, Fae?' sighed Fiyero, and she smirked at him, opening the door. 'Because it's fun.'

Corrin looked up as they entered, frowning. 'I don't think I heard the password.'

'That's because she didn't say it,' replied Fiyero, at which Corrin quirked an eyebrow. 'But the guard-'

'This is _Elphaba _we're talking about,' said Fiyero as an explanation, and Corrin sighed heavily. 'Of course.' He looked at Elphaba. 'So how did you do it?'

She didn't respond.

Corrin frowned. 'Elphaba?'

The green girl turned to Fiyero. 'Please tell _Corry _here,' she made his name come out like a sneer, 'that I'm not speaking to him anymore.'

Fiyero rolled his eyes. '_Really_, Fae?' She just huffed and crossed her arms, and so Fiyero turned to face Corrin. 'You heard her.'

The Resistance leader shook his head. 'She'll come around,' he assured Fiyero. Elphaba glared at him and grumbled, 'Don't count on it.'

Corrin flashed her a beaming smile. 'See? You're speaking to me again!'

She muttered something inappropriate under her breath and Corrin quickly moved on. 'Alright then. Your missions this time will be connected.' He looked at Fiyero. 'Do you by any chance have to work on the Gale Force tomorrow?'

The prince nodded.

'Good. I need you to create a distraction.' He made a hand gesture. 'I don't know what – make something up. Knock out an important person and pretend he suddenly collapsed – that always works. Create a fuss. Elphaba, you will sneak into the Throne Room and steal some papers for me that are described in this document.' He shoved a piece of paper in her direction. 'It's rather important.'

She knew that 'rather important' in Corrin-language usually meant 'many lives are depending on it', and so she put her own feelings aside for just now and accepted the document, though she still didn't look at him or speak to him.

'Sunset tomorrow,' Corrin said. 'There will be other Resistance members creating small distractions as well, so Fiyero, don't worry if you don't succeed – this is your first mission, after all, and I won't let you get into this by yourself. Your task will be easy to carry out and it won't be a problem if you fail.'

Fiyero nodded, secretly a little relieved. He wanted to help, but he didn't have any experience in this area and he was glad that he wouldn't be responsible for people's lives. 'Alright.'

'Elphaba… yours is a different story.' Corrin's piercing blue eyes were serious. 'If you fail, many lives will be lost.'

Elphaba, who had been looking through the document to see which papers she would need to steal, now looked up and nodded solemnly. 'I see.' Fiyero felt slightly shocked, but judging by both Elphaba and Corrin's demeanour, he suspected that it wasn't the first time she got a job this important.

Corrin leaned forward. 'Get the papers and get out of there. I trust you. You're one of my best, if not my very best, and I know you can do this.' His eyes bored into hers. 'The problem is not so much getting in to grab the papers,' he said. 'It's getting out _with _the papers. There are rather advanced alarm systems active in the Throne Room, not to mention the fact that the Wizard and Morrible themselves might be present there.'

Fiyero sucked in his breath audibly, but Elphaba didn't even blink. 'I won't fail.'

Corrin smiled tiredly at her. 'I know you won't.' He waved one hand in the air. 'You are dismissed.'

Elphaba calmly got up and walked out, with a slightly dazed and shaken Fiyero behind her. Once outside, she looked up at the guard still stuck to the ceiling. 'Money, please.'

He reached a trembling hand to his pocket and pulled out some silver coins, dropping them to the floor. She picked them up and smiled sweetly up at him. 'Thank you.' She made a hand gesture and the poor man dropped down onto the floor himself – _hard_. Elphaba just walked on.

'Fae!' Fiyero protested once they were downstairs. 'How can you be so calm?'

She sighed and turned to face him. 'Look, Fiyero,' she said seriously. 'I know you don't like me putting myself in danger, but since _you _are the one that just joined the Resistance despite my protests, I don't think you have a right to say something about _that_.'

He kept quiet.

'It's a big job, but it's not my first. I've done things like this before.'

'Sneak into the _Throne Room_?!' he demanded, and she shrugged. 'Among other rooms in the Palace. I don't do it every day, but it's happened, and Glin and I always got out safely. I'll be fine.'

'But he said-'

'People's lives are depending on it. I know. I've been there before, too, and it's why I won't fail. Don't _worry_, Fiyero.' She shook her head. 'I should go home now,' she said quietly. 'Glin is probably worried sick by now – she'll suspect I've been with you, but she hasn't heard from me in days now. And I need to prepare for tomorrow. Get some spells ready, and stuff.' She looked up at him. 'I'll see you tomorrow when the job is done, okay?'

He nodded reluctantly. 'Okay.'

She leaned up on her tiptoes and kissed him softly on the lips. 'Good luck.'

'You, too,' he said, bringing her closer and kissing her a bit harder. 'I love you.'

She smiled. 'I love you, too.'

With that, they parted, not knowing yet how horribly wrong everything would go the next day.

* * *

**A cliffie, because I can. Hey, imagine my wifi suddenly starts failing - that would leave you dangling for two weeks! :D Oh, what fun!**


	15. Chapter 15 My Gravity

**AN: The wifi is still working. Yay for you... for now. Because I think the cliffie I'm leaving you with this time is far, far worse than the last one... Mwahahahaha :D.**

**Hey, Happy3611, that's awesome! Have a great time in Italy! :) But, well... we might bump into each other, you never know... only there would be another problem. You know, I have no idea what you look like, nor do you know what I look like... we could literally bump into each other and we wouldn't know :P. But you're right, we can dream! xD**

**I found it funny that so many of you mentioned last chapter's title thinking it was from Beauty and the Beast... I've seen it, but only in Dutch and only once, so I had to look it up. Didn't find a song called Who Better Than Me, though. No, I got it from Tarzan - Terk sings it in the musical. I love that musical and the song is probably my favourite - especially the reprise :).**

* * *

**Chapter 15. My Gravity**

Sneaking into the Throne Room, as Corrin had predicted, was a piece of cake.

Well, Corrin hadn't actually predicted it to be "a piece of cake" – those were Elphaba's own words. Compared to some of the challenges she'd faced, this was child's play.

The night before, she'd approached the Palace by broom, flying around it a few times to investigate. She found a window that gave access to a room on the third floor, near the Throne Room, and decided to go in through there. She made a few more mental notes about the construction of the Palace before flying back home.

The next night, she walked through the streets up towards the Emerald Palace. She found a deserted alleyway near the Palace where she could mount her broom without being seen, and she flew in through the window she'd spotted the night before. She could hear commotion in the hallways; clearly, the distraction Fiyero and the others were creating was doing what it was supposed to do. She left her broom in the small chamber and opened the door a little to peek outside.

In the hallway, there was complete chaos. People were running up and down yelling things, all at the same time, so Elphaba couldn't even really make out what all the fuss was about at first; only after a few minutes of listening intently could she conclude that a few high officials had apparently toppled over during dinner and no one knew why. Everyone was searching for a doctor, but the three highly educated medics the Palace housed appeared to have gone missing.

She smirked a little. She could totally imagine what must have happened – a bit of poison in the wine would have done the trick with the officials, quick and easy. She suspected Glinda to be behind that – she had noticed before that the petite blonde seemed to have a rather unhealthy fascination with poisons. And the medics… well, she could picture Fiyero and a few of her fellow Resistance members knocking the doctors unconscious and dragging them into closets, or something. It wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened.

She slipped out of the room and mingled with the distraught Palace inhabitants, finding the door to the Throne Room and going in without even having to explain herself to anyone. It was dark inside and there was no one in sight; not even Morrible or the Wizard appeared to be present, which would only make her job easier. She smiled to herself. Good.

She quickly moved towards the desk in one hidden corner of the room, rummaging through the papers that were lying on it and through the drawers that were in it – also filled with papers – in her search for the documents Corrin needed. Eventually, she found them, and she was just on her way back towards the door when all hell broke loose.

She wasn't sure where they came from, exactly, but suddenly, Gale Force soldiers started filling the room. She tried to dive between them, but they were blocking her path; she was just going through all the spells in her mind that she knew by heart when she heard an evil laugh behind her.

She whipped around, only to find Morrible and the Wizard standing there, both of them looking incredibly smug. 'My, my,' Morrible smirked. 'If it isn't our dear Miss Elphaba.'

The Wizard winked at her. 'Long time no see, my dear. How are you today?'

'Oh, quit the small talk, creep,' the green girl snapped impatiently. 'How did you know I was here?'

'Oh, come on,' the Wizard said with a derisive snort. 'My dinner guests falling unconscious and the medics having gone missing? That just _reeked_ like the Resistance. And this was the room that was most likely to be under attack.' His eyes bored into Elphaba's. 'So what did you take, Miss Elphaba? What were you looking for?'

She was glad that she had hidden the papers in the bodice of her dress before she had made to leave the room. 'None of your business.'

Morrible clacked her tongue. 'So bad-mannered. Perhaps we should do something about that, don't you think so, your Ozness?' she grinned, and the smile the Wizard produced didn't promise much good. 'Let's teach her a lesson, Madame.'

Elphaba inquiringly tilted her head a little to the side. 'What?' she asked in a mock scared voice. 'You're going to torture me? Oh, no, I'm _so_ scared!'

Morrible narrowed her eyes at her. 'Don't play games with me, Thropp.'

'You started the game in the first place, Morrible,' Elphaba sneered. 'You were the one that tried to use me, not the other way around, so don't try and blame this on me.'

'Don't fool yourself, dearie,' the old hag hissed. 'If you think for just one clock-tick that you can take me, you must be having delusions of grandeur.'

Elphaba smiled sweetly at her. 'Try me,' she suggested boldly, and Morrible hissed again. 'Oh, I will!'

She was playing for high stakes and she knew it. She wasn't sure if she _could _take Morrible; she had learned a lot in the past two years, but the older woman was much more experienced when it came to magic than the dark-haired witch was. Perhaps it hadn't been such a great idea to challenge Morrible, Elphaba thought wryly, but she had been so irritated by that smug look on the stupid fish lady's face that her temper had once again gotten the better of her and she had acted without thinking first. Again, not the first time that happened – and probably not the last, either.

Okay, so she probably wouldn't be able to beat Morrible. She bit her lip. What should she do now?

Morrible seemed to sense her insecurity, for her creepy smile only widened. 'Regrets, dearie?'

'Not at all,' snarled Elphaba immediately, defensive, and Morrible cackled. 'We'll see about that.' She looked around. 'Isn't your dear blonde friend here?'

'Who knows? Maybe she is,' said Elphaba with raised eyebrows, but Morrible shook her head. 'I don't think so,' she declared. 'She would have come out already if she were, to help you. You two are so pathetic – always helping one another.' She stepped closer menacingly. 'No, I have you right where I want you, dearie. All alone and helpless right in front of me.'

_Helpless_. It was that word that caused Elphaba to bristle again – against her better judgment. She _knew _she should keep a clear head, but she just couldn't take that stupid old ugly fish woman calling her _helpless_. If there was one thing Elphaba Thropp was _not_, it was helpless.

And so she pulled a small piece of paper from the pocket of her dress and read it out loud – the same spell she had used on Corrin's guard the day before. Morrible already prepared herself to block Elphaba's attack, but the young witch wasn't planning on using it on Morrible; instead, a few of the Gale Force soldiers surrounding the green girl flew up against the ceiling, and Elphaba ducked underneath them and sprinted towards the door.

'Stop her!' the Wizard yelled, and the soldiers that were still on the ground immediately went after her. She criss-crossed through the hallways, ducked through a door and leapt up the stairs, not exactly knowing where she was going, but not really caring, either – as long as she got away from that stupid Gale Force.

She could hear them behind her and she sped up a little, dodging servants and Palace inhabitants along the way. The soldiers were yelling at each other and at the people in the hallways to 'catch that wicked witch!' but, of course, they didn't succeed; most people were too dazed or too scared to do anything, and Elphaba, with her rather small height and lithe, slender build, was faster than they had anticipated. She shot through the hallways, through another door and up another flight of stairs, dashing through the door at the top of those stairs.

The moment she stepped outside, she knew she had made a mistake.

* * *

When Fiyero, being the Captain of the Guard, was notified by a severely distressed servant that the Wicked Witch of the West had been seen inside the building, he knew something had gone wrong.

He also knew Elphaba could probably handle herself. As she had said before, she was a big girl and she had gotten out of risky situations before, all by herself. Still he couldn't help but worry. The Gale Force was after her now, and though he had no idea where she was, exactly, he hoped she would still get a chance to find her way out of the Palace to return to the Resistance headquarters.

His men spread all throughout the Palace, and he himself took a small group of them outside to try and keep an eye on the windows – he told his men that he wanted to make sure the witch didn't escape, but in reality, he just wanted to see for himself that she _did _escape. _If she'll manage to escape at all. _He tried to press that thought away. There was no need to worry… yet.

When one of his men shouted something, his head immediately whipped up, trying to locate the cause of the soldier's scream; but when he found said cause, it didn't do much to alleviate his worry.

Elphaba was on the roof. Or, well, one of the roofs; the Emerald Palace had multiple parts of flat roof, sometimes used as a terrace or balcony, or to keep maintenance equipment without it being in the way. Elphaba was currently on one of them. One of the highest ones, he noted with a growing sense of dread, and one that only had one entrance or exit: the door she had just emerged through.

His eyes skimmed the area around the flat roof, but he already knew that there was no chance of escape for her from there. He cursed softly under his breath. She didn't have her broom with her, so she couldn't fly, and since there wasn't another way out… she would most likely get captured. His only hope was for her to magic-spell her way out of there.

Along with his men, he stood still as a statue, watching and waiting for whatever was going to happen next.

* * *

Elphaba let out a few colourful curses as she stepped out onto the roof. A quick scan of her environment told her that there was no way out of there for her, and so her only option would be to fight. She let out another curse as she turned around, ready to face the soldiers that would no doubt swarm out from the door she had just exited the building through.

Sure enough, they came; the only thing she hadn't counted on was that they were carrying rifles instead of the spears they usually carried when they worked inside the Palace. Yet another curse escaped her lips. Spears she could dodge, but she was no match for long-distance guns.

They all pointed their rifles at her menacingly. 'Don't move,' one of them ordered. 'If you move, we shoot.'

She snorted, trying to bluff her way out of this. 'You wouldn't shoot me.'

The man tightened his grip on his gun. 'And why not?'

She batted her eyelashes at him mockingly. 'Could you really shoot a lady?'

'You're not a lady,' another soldier hissed. 'You're a witch!'

Okay, plan failed. She swallowed and turned around. They all eyed her warily, keeping their rifles ready, but they didn't shoot – yet – as she moved closer to the edge of the roof, peering over it. Even though she was used to flying at great heights, the sight of the hard, cold cobblestones of the street so far below made her a bit dizzy. There was no way she could survive a jump like this one. Not a chance at all.

Then she saw Fiyero standing not too far away on the ground, and her heart stopped for a moment when she saw the look in his eyes. She knew he hoped that she would get out of here, but she couldn't. She had no idea how. She knew for sure that the soldiers would shoot the moment she reached inside her pockets to grab one of her spells, and there were only very few spells she knew by heart. She softly started chanting the one that would melt metal, but the Gale Force soldiers heard her and immediately rose their rifles again. 'One more word and I'll shoot!' one of them warned, and she stopped. The spell would be too long – he would shoot before she could finish.

She hated to admit it, but she was trapped.

She looked over the edge again. Fiyero was still there, watching her with hope and dread written all over his face, and she swallowed. She thought about the papers hidden in the bodice of her dress, recalling Corrin's words.

_If you fail, many lives will be lost._

She had promised him she wouldn't fail, and she knew she wouldn't. She'd rather die.

Only she hadn't actually counted on having to make that decision.

She just stood there, debating what to do. If she surrendered, she would be taken captive. The papers would be taken away from her and the lives Corrin had mentioned would be lost; she would undoubtedly be tortured in an attempt to get her to talk about the Resistance, mention names or locations, and once they'd figure out she wouldn't say anything, they'd either try to use her as bait in an attempt to capture Glinda or Corrin, or they would just dispose of her. That option didn't sound too appealing, and she knew she would rather die than let them have her to do with her as they pleased.

Her other option wasn't much more appealing, but still better. If she jumped, she would be dead, but Fiyero would be able to retrieve the papers from her body and all those lives would be spared. It would be one sacrifice to save many others, and wasn't that what the Resistance was all about? And at least she would die on her own terms.

She tried her hardest not to imagine the look on Fiyero's face if he knew what she was thinking, or when he would see what she was about to do. She regretted that he was here – she didn't want him to see this – but she had to do it now, or they would capture her and the papers, those people's lives, would be lost.

She stared down, imagining herself falling. _I'm like a butterfly… and I should have stayed up high._ How fitting.

She swallowed again. Then she took a deep breath and turned. 'You can't capture me. I won't let you.'

One of the soldiers snorted. 'And how are you going to stop us, _witch_?'

She stepped back, balancing on the edge. The soldiers' eyes widened. 'You wouldn't.'

She shrugged. 'I don't suppose you'll just let me walk out of here alive, will you?' The soldier, baffled, shook his head, and she nodded calmly. 'That's what I thought.' She stepped away from the edge a little and the soldier ordered his fellow men, 'Grab her!'

She spun and ran, her heart pounding loudly in her chest.

_Now I feel no fear…_

She jumped.

It was as if everything slowed down for a moment. She felt the fingertips of one of the soldiers brushing the fabric of her dress, but they couldn't get a hold of it; she could hear Fiyero screaming her name from down below, but it was all vague and blurry. The only thing she was really aware of was the street coming closer and closer, and the last conscious thought crossing her mind as she fell almost made her laugh. Something she'd said to Fiyero when they were in the dungeons – it seemed ironically fitting now, only more in the literal sense than she had meant it to.

_It's stronger than me… my gravity._

She closed her eyes.

* * *

**Go ahead and leave me murderous reviews. You know I love it :D.**


	16. Chapter 16 Biting The Bullet

**AN: I'm glad you guys still think I deserve my title as Queen of Cliffies *smirk*. I was planning on another one for this chappie, but decided against it. Might happen next time. Probably will.**

**Fae Tiggular: You're welcome :D. And yay, crown and scepter!**

**Elphaba'sGirl: Um, yes. I'd love to be responsible for that *evil cackle*.**

**Gentle Touch Ginger: There will be some Gelphie friendship stuff coming up in a few chapters :). And there's a tiny bit for you in here, too.**

**Happy3611: You do that, ask everyone :D. Because sorry, but I'm not going to stalk through Italy wearing a crown and a cape - that would be kind of warm :P. Where in Italy are you? We're near Venice - super beautiful city, by the way :).**

**PocketSevens: Wonderwoman and Dead Woman :D.**

* * *

**Chapter 16. Biting The Bullet**

Fiyero felt as if he couldn't breathe as he watched it happen. He had seen her stepping back towards the edge and somehow, he had _known _what she had been about to do; but still, it came as an awful shock to him when she actually did. He saw her turn, run, and jump, her ebony hair flying behind her as she fell, and her name escaped his lips. 'Fae!' he screamed, only there was nothing he could do. He wouldn't even be able to reach the spot she would hit the ground in time for him to try and catch her – not that that would probably work.

He could only watch helplessly as she plummeted to her death.

* * *

Her revelation almost came too late - _almost_ being the key word.

She was already falling when the idea hit her, and she would have smacked her forehead in frustration had she not been in such a hurry. It was something she should have thought of much, much earlier – _before _she decided to throw herself off the edge of a building: she could summon her broom.

She knew the spell by heart, and she had left the broom in a room with an open window – if she chanted the spell, if would fly right out and towards her… if only she would be on time.

She muttered the words under her breath, quickly, and for a few dreadful moments, she was afraid that it would be too late; the street was coming closer and closer, and she held her breath in anticipation. _Please, please let this work._

Then, suddenly, she caught sight of the broomstick, and she reached out to grab it. It all happened in a matter of clock-ticks and she was only barely a meter above the ground when she managed to fling herself onto the broom and steer it upwards again, letting out the breath she had been holding. She threw her head back and cackled, putting all the relief she felt in that sound. 'Bye bye, idiots!' she yelled cheerfully in the direction of the baffled Gale Force soldiers on the roof, and she yanked her broom to the side, pointing it in the direction of the Western sky. She looked down and locked eyes with Fiyero for a moment, giving him a triumphant grin before flying off.

The soldiers on the roof – and the ones on the ground, with the exception of Fiyero – immediately started shooting at her, and she dodged the bullets, speeding up in order to get out of there as soon as possible. They were shouting at each other, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. It didn't matter, anyway, for she was already out of their reach, shooting through the sky until she was completely out of their sight.

* * *

The soldiers slowly lowered their rifles. 'We lost her.'

'Captain?' another soldier asked a bit suspiciously. 'Why didn't you order for us to shoot her?'

_Shiz_. Fiyero raised his chin, remembering to stay in character. He was immensely relieved that she had gotten away, though worried at the same time – he hadn't been able to tell if she had been hit or not, and there had been a lot of bullets… but right now, he had to play the part of the Captain of the Guard who just watched his main prey get away.

'I _did_, you bunch of idiots!' he barked, and one of the other soldiers – a real suck-up - nodded earnestly. 'That's right – he did. When she fell down, didn't you hear him? He shouted 'fire!'.'

Actually, he had shouted 'Fae!', but he wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like this one. 'Yes, indeed I did! I'm glad _someone _still listens to me!' he said gruffly.

The first soldier looked embarrassed. 'Right. Sorry, Captain. I didn't hear you.'

The second soldier looked up at Fiyero in admiration. 'You ordered for us to fire even before the witch could summon her broom! You saw that coming, didn't you? We all thought she would fall to her death, but you were the only one anticipating her escape.'

Even better – now they thought he was a hero. He shrugged modestly. 'Well, she _is _a witch.'

The second soldier looked pointedly at his colleague. 'See? That's why _he _is the Captain of the Guard and _we _never made it past the rank of regular soldier.'

Fiyero almost laughed out loud, but then he caught sight of something on the ground and his heart stopped for a moment. 'What's that?'

'Whoa, Captain,' yet another soldier said, clearly impressed. 'You're observant.'

Fiyero rolled his eyes. He had noticed before that some of the Gale Force soldiers were incredibly impressed by rank – they constantly praised everyone higher in rank than they were, and especially the Wizard. Annoying, but in his case, rather convenient.

'It's blood,' a soldier said. He had kneeled down next to the rusty red spot on the ground and was rubbing some of the stuff between his fingers. 'It's blood. We hit the Witch!'

Fiyero suddenly felt sick to his stomach.

'We have to go tell the Wizard,' another soldier urged. 'Perhaps we can catch her while she's hurt!'

'You go on without me, guys,' said Fiyero, trying to keep his voice steady and confident. 'My shift is over – I'm going home.'

The others accepted that without question. 'Get a good night's sleep, Captain,' one of them said with a wink. 'We'll catch her for you.'

He gave his colleague a watery smile. 'You do that.' Oz, he hoped they wouldn't.

* * *

'Halt!' the guard in front of Corrin's door barked. 'Password!'

Fiyero racked his brain, but he couldn't remember. 'I don't know… Something to do with Morrible – I don't remember, but I have to talk to Corrin!' he pleaded. 'It's important!'

The guard didn't seem impressed. 'They all say that.'

Fiyero glared at the other man. 'You know who I am, right?'

'You were with the green girl the other day. Elphaba.'

'Right,' said Fiyero. 'And if you don't let me in _right now_, I'm going to give her permission to glue you to the ceiling again – and this time for good.' He just hoped she would still be able to be given permission to do anything – the blood didn't promise much good.

The guard sighed. 'Look, boy, I can't let you in unless you give me the password.'

'Fiyero, is that you?' Corrin called through the door. 'Come in!'

Fiyero glared at the guard again, who now stepped aside with a stoic expression on his face, and entered the room. Corrin smiled up at him. 'Fiyero, what can I do for you?'

The prince didn't beat around the bush. 'Has Elphaba reported back yet?'

Corrin grew serious. 'No, she hasn't,' he said, but upon seeing Fiyero's worried face, he quickly added, 'but that's not unusual, you know. I've heard what happened – news travels fast within the Resistance. Elphaba was cornered by Morrible, the Wizard and the Gale Force in the Throne Room, but she escaped; she jumped off the roof and flew off on her broom. If my reports are correct, she has succeeded in retrieving the documents.'

'I don't know,' Fiyero said a bit irritably, 'and frankly, I don't care, either. I'm just worried that she hasn't reported back yet.'

Corrin shook his head. 'She never does when something like this happens. She's very thorough in her work – she's usually afraid that she will be followed, so she never returns to the headquarters right away. My guess is that she will find some abandoned place to stay until it's completely dark, after which she'll either return here or to her and Glinda's home. Don't worry about her, Fiyero. She knows what she's doing.'

Fiyero bit his lip. 'Yeah, but… she's hurt.'

Now Corrin looked up in alarm. 'What?'

'She's hurt,' Fiyero repeated. 'There was blood on the ground – me and my men found it after she had flown off. I don't know how much it was – there was a small puddle where we found it, and there were more drops scattered here and there… but, well, it's enough to get me worried.'

Corrin nodded gravely. 'I see.' He thought about it for a moment. 'Do you think it forms a trail? That the Gale Force can follow the blood to track her down?'

Fiyero shook his head. 'It stopped after a while,' he said. 'I think she bandaged it up or something.'

Corrin rubbed his forehead. 'Why don't you stay here for a few hours,' he suggested finally, rising to his feet, 'and I will see what I can find out.'

Fiyero gave him a weary smile. 'Thanks, Corrin.'

* * *

Glinda shrieked when a dark figure burst through the door, and she didn't stop until the figure slammed the door shut and said in an irritated voice, 'For Oz's sake, Glinda, stop screaming!'

The blonde blinked at the visitor. 'Elphie?'

Elphaba rolled her eyes. Glinda flung herself at her friend, shrieking once again as she started swatting at Elphaba. 'Elphaba Thropp, what in Oz were you _thinking_?! You just jumped off an Oz-forsaken _building_! At least five stories high!'

'I'm aware of that, Glin.'

'Did you even have a plan?' Glinda demanded in a high-pitched voice. 'Or were you just improvising?'

Elphaba grimaced at the memory. 'I was improvising,' she admitted. 'In fact, I was convinced that I would end up a green pancake on the sidewalk right up until the last clock-tick.'

Glinda scowled at her. 'Not funny, Elphie. For Oz's sake, why do you always _do _that? Why couldn't you just _walk_ out of the Palace like a normal person?'

Elphaba rubbed her forehead, giving her blonde friend a look. 'Oh, I don't know,' she said sarcastically. 'Maybe because I was surrounded by Gale Force soldiers and the Wizard and Morrible were right behind me?'

Glinda scoffed and shook her head. 'And where have you been all this time? What in Oz have you been doing?' she then wanted to know, at which Elphaba gave her an inquiring look. 'Falling off a building?'

The blonde slapped her friend's arm. 'That was _hours _ago! Where have you been since?' she clarified. 'I was worried sick! Corrin hadn't seen you, he said you hadn't reported back, and I've been waiting for you but you didn't show up…'

'I took a detour,' said Elphaba. 'I landed in some dark alley, then I hid in an empty building for about an hour. Then I started walking back here and like I said, I took a detour. I didn't want to risk leading anyone to you.'

'That would be very thoughtful, if it hadn't gotten me so worried,' said Glinda through clenched teeth. Something dripping on the floor caught her eye and her eyes widened. 'Elphie, is that blood?'

Elphaba looked back. 'Oh. Yeah,' she said drily, at which Glinda squealed indignantly. 'That's why I came back here in the first place – I kind of need your help.' She untied her cloak, tossing it over a chair carelessly, revealing a still bleeding shot wound in her side. Glinda squealed again in horror when she saw all the blood. '_El-phie! _Why didn't you say so right away!'

'_Glin-da_!' the green girl mimicked her friend. 'Because you didn't stop rambling!'

The blonde fell silent. 'Oh.' Then she scowled. 'Still, Elphie! What happened?'

'Gale Force shot at me when I tried to get away,' explained Elphaba. She shrugged. 'It's nothing, really. Minor injury – the bullet just grazed my skin, it didn't even really go through. It just needs some proper bandaging. I tore a piece of fabric from my dress, but that didn't really seem to do the trick.'

Glinda glared at her friend, then grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the bedroom, planting her down onto the bed harshly. 'Ow!' whined Elphaba. 'Glinda, that hurts!

The blonde just crossed her arms. 'It's your own fault. Now get out of that dress while I get the first aid thingies.'

'"First aid thingies"?' Elphaba echoed suspiciously. 'Why doesn't that sound to me like you know anything about first aid at all?'

'Oh, how hard can it be?' called Glinda over her shoulder cheerfully, and Elphaba grimaced. 'I'm doomed.'

'I heard that, Elphie!' came Glinda's menacing voice from the other room. The green girl chuckled as the blonde returned with a small box and opened it, searching through it. 'So we need to clean it first… right?'

'Right.'

'Okay. I could do that.' Glinda prepared a clean cloth and approached Elphaba's wound with it, but when the cloth almost touched the skin, she squealed. 'Elphie, there's blood!'

Elphaba grinned and rolled her eyes. 'It's a shot wound. Of course there's blood.'

Glinda looked a bit pale. 'But I _hate _blood!' she complained. Elphaba rolled her eyes again. 'Well, it's not like getting shot is a hobby of mine, either, so could you just clean the damn wound and get on with it?'

Glinda inched closer, moving the cloth towards the wound, but again, she pulled back. 'I can't do this!'

'Oh, for Oz's sake!' Elphaba exclaimed. She yanked the cloth from Glinda's fingers and pressed it against the wound, making her hiss in pain for a moment. Glinda squeaked. 'Doesn't that hurt?'

'Not at all. It feels _wonderful_.'

'Oh.' Glinda looked relieved. 'That's good.'

Elphaba glared at her. 'That was sarcasm, Glin.'

'_Oh_.' Now the blonde paled again. 'That's _not _good.'

Elphaba sniggered. 'Oh, Glinda…' She looked down and carefully cleaned the wound, cringing a little in pain, but she knew it had to happen. After she was done cleaning it, she looked at her friend pointedly. 'Do you think you can manage bandaging me up, or will that be a problem as well?'

'Well…' Glinda hesitated. 'As long as I don't have to touch the blood.'

The dark-haired witch chuckled again. 'Oz, Glin. How did you ever make it this far in the Resistance?'

Glinda looked offended. 'I can perform first aid when I need to!'

Elphaba looked at her pointedly. Glinda sighed. 'Only when I _really _need to,' she admitted. 'I hate blood. I can't stand it. I've stitched someone up once, but that was a _real _emergency – the guy was unconscious and bleeding to death! I didn't have a choice! I almost threw up, but I _did _stitch him!'

Elphaba applauded drily. 'Very good, Miss Glinda.'

Glinda whacked her arm. 'Shut up, Elphie, and just give me that stupid bandage.'

* * *

It was past midnight when Fiyero finally got home, slamming the door shut behind him and leaning back against it, closing his eyes for a moment. He had stayed at the Resistance headquarters, hoping to hear anything about Elphaba, but not much information came in. Someone had seen her walking through the streets about an hour after the happenings at the Palace, and that person had noticed that she had been limping, which didn't particularly ease Fiyero's nerves; after that, no one else had seen her, and he was worried sick. What if she was badly hurt? What if she was currently lying in an empty building or a park somewhere, bleeding to death? He couldn't stand the thought and so he had set out in search for her, but to no avail. He hadn't found her and when he had returned to Corrin, there wasn't any news about her there, either, so he had figured he might as well go home to think out a strategy from there.

He stepped into the hallway and kicked off his boots, trudging up the stairs. He then proceeded towards his bedroom and let himself fall backwards onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Where in Oz could she be?

Too restless to stay still, he got up again, making his way down the stairs and towards the kitchen – perhaps a cup of tea or warm milk could help him relax – where he nearly got a heart attack. For on a chair at his kitchen table, with a plate and a cup of tea in front of her, was Elphaba.

She blinked innocently up at him as he entered. 'Hi.'

He could only stare at her. 'When… what… why… how…' he stammered, and she quirked an eyebrow. 'When: about two hours ago. What: eating dinner in your kitchen. Why: because I was hungry – I hope you don't mind, by the way. And how: through your bedroom window, as usual. I'm a Resistance member, Fiyero. I know how to get inside a house, and you should really be more careful – your bedroom window is almost always open and it's placed very conveniently next to a big tree.'

He was still gaping at her. 'But… I… you…'

She held up a piece of toast. 'Want some?'

He glared at her. 'Elphaba…'

She sighed and put the toast back down onto her plate. 'Alright, alright. You were worried. I get it. But you saw me getting away, didn't you?'

He sighed, too, and sat down opposite her. 'I did. But they all shot at you, and there was blood on the streets, and I thought…'

She swore under her breath. 'I didn't leave a trail, did I?'

He already started shaking his head when he realised what she was saying. 'Wait… that really was your blood?'

She tilted her head a little to the side. 'I thought you had already concluded that, and that was why you were worried.'

'It was,' he said. 'But you seem fine, so I just thought…'

'I _am _fine,' she said, taking another piece of toast. 'But it was my blood, yes.'

He looked at her sceptically. 'That was a pretty impressive amount of blood, Fae.'

She just shrugged and brought her empty plate and cup to the counter. 'It looked like much, but it wasn't that bad,' she dismissed it. 'I took care of it. Or, well, Glinda did.' She grinned. 'I almost gave her a heart attack when I came in – I seem to have that effect on people lately.'

He scowled at her. She only chuckled lightly. 'Anyway, I was hoping Glin could help me take care of the wound, but she nearly fainted when she saw the blood. She hasn't changed all that much since Shiz.'

Now Fiyero let out a slight chuckle himself – he remembered how Glinda, still Galinda back then, used to react to blood. She had actually fainted once when she had watched Elphaba accidentally cut her hand on a kitchen knife.

'But she did help me bandage it up,' Elphaba continued, 'and so I'm fine. It was a close call, though.'

'You could say that,' he muttered. 'I really thought I'd have to scrape you off the pavement when you jumped off that roof. You scared me to death.'

'Yes, well, I thought so, too, for a few moments,' she said, at which he sharply turned to look at her. 'What?'

'I was improvising,' she admitted. 'I was actually planning on sacrificing myself to save the people whose lives depend on these,' she waved the paper she had stolen from the Throne Room in the air, 'stupid documents. I only even thought of summoning the broom when I was already falling.'

He had blanched visibly. 'You were actually planning on _dying_?!' he demanded, and she sighed. 'Fiyero… my life is not the most important thing here. If I could have saved many lives by sacrificing my own, I would. It's why I joined the Resistance in the first place.'

He didn't say anything, but she knew he wasn't happy with it. She leaned against the counter and looked at him. 'I didn't have to, though. Can we just leave it at that?'

He sighed and rose to his feet, moving closer to her, but not touching her. 'I know, Fae. I know. I just don't like it.'

'And I know you don't,' she said. 'But you know how important it is to me to save other people's lives. To try and make Oz a better place.'

He wanted to say something along the lines of _'Oz is already a better place because you are in it'_ but he knew she would find that cheesy, so he didn't say it. She seemed to read his mind, though, for she narrowed her eyes at him. 'Don't say it.'

He had to laugh at that. 'Wasn't going to.'

She looked pleased. 'Huh. Perhaps you do know me after all.' She yawned and walked towards the door. 'I'm going to bed, I'm exhausted. It's been a long day.'

He followed her, slightly alarmed. 'To bed, as in, you're going home? I'm not sure if that's a good idea right now, after-'

'To bed, as in, upstairs, to your bedroom,' she interrupted him to clarify, and he fell silent. 'Oh.' He blinked. 'Really?'

'I slept here before, didn't I?' she said. 'Why does this surprise you so much?'

He bit his lip. 'Because… well…' He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. 'I guess I still expect you to disappear on me,' he admitted. 'I mean, I know you told me you wouldn't, but somehow I keep expecting it. That you'll run away from me and never come back.'

She let out a mirthless laugh. 'So you really _do _know me.' She cocked her head to the side again. 'But I won't,' she said. 'Not this time. I've been running away from a lot of things in my life, but you aren't going to be one of them.'

A smile slowly crept onto his face and he went to wrap his arms around her waist. 'I'm glad-' He cut himself off when she yelped. 'What's wrong?' he asked in alarm, and she grimaced. 'Bullet wound. It's fine, just… don't touch it, please.'

'Where is it?' he demanded, and she winked at him suggestively. 'Wouldn't you like to know,' she said in a seductive voice, laughing at his face before turning around and making her way up the stairs.


	17. Chapter 17 Ill Weeds

**AN: So my wifi is not as awesome as it was in the beginning... it took me literally six attempts to upload this chapter -.-'. I'm working on updates for Shadows and Just give me a reason, but I think I won't post them until I'm home again, on Wednesday.**

**I'm glad you all liked the Glinda-and-blood scene :3. This chapter is kind of a filler, next chapter will probably have a cliffie... and the one after that is just going to be plain depressing. I think. You'll see.**

* * *

**Chapter 17. Ill Weeds**

'Elphaba, stop doing this!' Fiyero protested as he followed her up the stairs. 'Don't you think we should talk about this?'

She stopped to throw him a glance over her shoulder. 'No, I don't.'

He sighed. 'The very least you could do is tell me where they shot you.'

She entered his bedroom and slipped out of her dress, throwing it over a chair, leaving her in just her undergarments. 'See for yourself.'

He drew in his breath with a sharp hiss when he saw the bandage going all around her waist. 'Did you-'

She rolled her eyes. 'No, it just grazed my side, that's all. Left, in case you're wondering.'

He gingerly touched the spot, quickly pulling away when she cringed. 'Sorry.'

She shook her head. 'It's fine.' She walked over to his closet and wanted to throw on a shirt of his, but the feeling of his fingers on her arm stilled her movements. 'What's that?'

She looked at the spot he was indicating. 'A scar.'

'I can see that.' He rolled his eyes good-naturedly. 'What I mean is, where did you get it?'

'I broke my arm, two years ago,' she said, and he frowned a little. 'Did the Gale Force…'

She shook her head. 'Before that,' she said. She sat down on the edge of his bed and he joined her. 'It was when Glinda and I escaped from the Emerald Palace,' she explained. She looked at him. 'I don't suppose you've ever heard that story. Not the true one, anyway.'

Fiyero shook his head. 'The Wizard and Morrible spread all kinds of rumours about two witches trying to attack him in his own Throne Room. I never believed a word they said,' he assured her hastily, 'but I don't know what _really _happened, either.'

She told him everything, from the moment she and Glinda had stepped aboard the train towards the City up until where she had enchanted a broomstick and asked Glinda to come with her. 'She did, obviously, and we escaped together,' the dark-haired witch said. 'Only we ended up in a storm and we crashed into a rock. That's when I broke my arm. Glinda and I both still have the scars from it.'

Fiyero tentatively touched the small, thin scar on her arm. 'You crashed into a _rock_?'

She nodded, chuckling at the incredulous look on his face. 'Quite literally, yes,' she said. 'You should keep in mind that I had never flown on a broomstick before that day, and the winds swept us into a rock wall. We're lucky we made it at all.'

His fingers moved to the small scars that were scattered across her right side, most of which were now hidden under the bandage that went around her torso. 'Those, too?'

She nodded. 'And the one on my forehead.' He studied the small, white scar that went through her right eyebrow. 'Wow.'

She laughed at his face. 'Like I said, it wasn't all that bad,' she assured him. 'Glinda's got some scars from that day, too. Mey, who took care of us back then, also said we were lucky we had made it. But we did.'

He was frowning a little. 'That day at the Palace,' he began. 'At the ball.'

She quirked an eyebrow at him – the one with the scar, he noticed. 'When we spent the night making each other jealous and chunking plates at one another?'

He chuckled. 'Yes. Then. I hit you with a plate and you said something about your bad arm.'

She nodded slowly, recalling the memory. 'That was my right arm,' she confirmed. 'It healed, after it was broken, but it's still a sensitive spot.'

He bit his lip. 'I'm sorry.'

'It doesn't matter. You didn't know.' She yawned and put on the shirt, snuggling into the blankets. 'I'm going to sleep now, if you don't mind. I have no doubt that Corrin has another nice mission planned out for me somewhere in the next few days and I'd like to be well-rested for it.'

He crawled into the bed next to her, but instead of lying down to sleep, he propped himself up on one elbow to watch her. He lightly ran his fingers over the fabric of the shirt she was wearing, over the spots where he now knew the scars to be, and a shiver ran down her spine. She turned to look at him. 'What are you doing?'

He pulled away. 'Sorry.'

She rolled her eyes. 'If you apologise for something – _anything _– one more time, I'm going to cut off your balls in your sleep.'

He stared at her. She chuckled softly. 'Seriously, though. Stop apologising. You're acting as if I might break if you say or do something wrong.'

He shook his head. 'Not break,' he said, his sapphire eyes solemn. 'Run away.'

Her eyes softened and she turned all the way to lie on her other side, facing him. 'I told you I wouldn't do that,' she said. 'I promised, didn't I?'

He bit his lip. 'I know. But still.'

She slipped her arms around his neck and leaned her forehead against his, looking into his eyes. 'Well, Master Tiggular,' she said in a low voice, 'I'm afraid you're stuck with me, because I'm not going anywhere.'

His face broke into a grin and he rolled them over, pinning her underneath him. 'Very good, Miss Thropp,' he mumbled as he started to kiss her neck. 'I wouldn't have it any other way.'

* * *

She stayed with him for a few days; after that, the situation had died down a bit and the search for the Wicked Witch of the West became a little less frantic, and so Elphaba and Fiyero moved out to receive their next assignment from Corrin again.

They were greeted by Mey at the door. 'Elphaba!' the Sheep said happily. 'Am I happy to see you!'

Elphaba grinned at her. 'Well, you know me,' she said drily. 'Ill weeds grow apace.'

Mey chuckled. 'True. Sometimes I think you, my girl, are simply unkillable.' She frowned. 'Is that a word?'

'I'm sure Glinda would say yes to that,' Elphaba said, still grinning, 'but I'm going to have to say no.'

The Sheep winked at her. 'Corry is already waiting for you.'

Elphaba's grin widened – by now everyone had heard Glinda's nickname for 'her' Corrin, and most of the Resistance members that were close to him had jokingly started calling him 'Corry' behind his back – much to Glinda's delight and Elphaba's unholy glee. 'Thanks, Mey,' she said, before moving towards the stairs, Fiyero right behind her.

Fiyero sighed inwardly when he saw the guard upstairs blocking the door to Corrin's office. He _knew _Elphaba wouldn't simply say the password to get through… and he was right. No words were spoken, though.

The guard looked at Elphaba, unmoving, at which the green girl crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow.

The guard crossed his arms as well, making himself look bigger. She set her jaw and raised her chin defiantly, at which he just kept staring at her, clearly not intending to let them through.

She glared at him – her famous death glare that always made Fiyero cringe and squirm whenever it was directed at him – and the guard shuffled around a little, but still didn't budge, at which Elphaba raised her other eyebrow, giving the man a meaningful look. His eyes flickered from Fiyero to Elphaba nervously.

Elphaba's glare intensified.

With a sigh, the guard's shoulders slumped and he stepped aside, gesturing for her to move along, and with a triumphant grin on her face, she made her way into Corrin's office.

Corrin didn't even comment on the fact that his guard hadn't announced his guest first; instead, he jumped up from behind his desk. 'Elphaba!'

She flashed him a grin. 'Hi, Corry. Miss me?'

He rolled his eyes at her. 'I was worried about you, was that so strange?'

'Your girlfriend took care of my shot wound,' Elphaba replied drily. 'What's there to worry about?'

Corrin made a face. 'The fact that _Glinda _took care of your _shot wound_,' he retorted.

Elphaba chuckled and sat down in one of the chairs, Fiyero following her example. 'Good point.'

'So tell me,' Corrin said sarcastically, 'how bad is it? Did she accidentally stitch your leg to your arm? Or did she faint as soon as she saw the first drop of blood?'

Fiyero stifled a laugh – knowing Glinda from how she was back at Shiz, he wouldn't be surprised if that had been the case. Elphaba chuckled again as well. 'No, thank Oz she didn't… well, she did almost faint,' she acknowledged, 'but not quite. It only needed a bandage, anyway, thank Oz – no stitching involved.' She leaned forward. 'So, what's up?'

'Nothing for you to worry about,' Corrin said immediately. 'I'm taking you off any missions right now. Go back home and have some girl time with Glinda. Or go home with Fiyero for all I care. I don't want you working when you're hurt.'

'Thank you,' muttered Fiyero under his breath, but Elphaba was scowling at the Resistance leader. 'No.'

Corrin sighed. 'Elphaba…'

'No,' she repeated firmly. 'I'm not going to sit on my lazy butt and watch as all of you guys finish this important job. I can work even when I'm injured. It's not that bad of an injury, anyway.' She pulled the papers she'd stolen from the Throne Room out of the bodice of her dress. 'Here are the documents you wanted. Sorry I didn't come before, by the way – I thought it would be best to lay low for a few days.'

Corrin smiled at her and took the papers, examining them and quickly reading through a few of them. 'I figured as much. Thank you.' He looked at her over the rim of his reading glasses. 'But I'm still not letting you work.'

Just then, Glinda bounced in. 'Elphie!' she squealed. 'Mey told me you were up here – are you okay? How's the bullet wound?'

'_Fine_,' said Elphaba irritably. 'Only your _Corry _won't let me work.'

'Which is a good thing,' Fiyero added, earning himself a glare from Elphaba. 'Fiyero!'

He held up his hands. 'I'm just saying I'm glad someone is looking out for you.'

'Actually…' Glinda said hesitantly. 'I'd like you to sort of kind of do a job with me, Elphie.'

Corrin sighed. 'Glinda, I told you you could work with Zoro. He's very experienced as well and I'm sure you two will get along fine enough-'

'But I want to work with Elphie!' whined Glinda. 'I always work with Elphie! I can't not work with Elphie!'

Corrin sighed again. 'Glinda…'

She made her biggest puppy eyes, a look that always got her whatever it was that she wanted. 'Please, Corry?' she begged. 'Please?'

'I'm in,' said Elphaba in his place, happy to have something to do. 'What's the job?'

Glinda smiled broadly. 'Nothing special. A regular one, you know – some kind of official we need to steal a key from. One of us distracts him, the other steals the key, the regular stuff.'

Elphaba eyed her friend suspiciously. Glinda was looking a bit too innocent for her liking, and she had a growing feeling that she knew why. 'Glinda…'

The blonde pouted – they practically read each other's minds, as usual. 'Oh, Elphie, please!' she burst out. 'Could you _please _do the distraction part? Pretty pretty please?'

'No! Why?'

'Because Corry doesn't like it when I try to seduce other men!' Glinda whined, and Elphaba bristled. 'Oh, yes, that's a great excuse!' she said sarcastically. 'Because Fiyero just _loves _it when _I _do that!'

'For the record, I really don't,' Fiyero informed Glinda, earning himself a glare. The blonde stomped her foot. 'But Elphie!'

'No!' the green girl insisted. 'You promised you'd do the next three if I did Fiyero!'

Fiyero blinked. 'What?'

'And you didn't even _tell _me it was Fiyero!' Elphaba continued, ignoring him. 'So you owe me, Glinda Upland. Big time.'

Glinda pouted. 'But _Elphie_!' she whined. 'Look how that turned out for you! You ended up in a relationship with him – I did you a favour!'

Elphaba glared at her friend. 'Bad excuse, Glinda. I'm still saying no.'

Glinda made her eyes look bigger and batted her eyelashes at her friend, pouting slightly. 'Pretty pretty please, Elphie?'

Elphaba narrowed her eyes. 'Glinda…'

The blonde blinked innocently at the dark-haired witch, trying to look as adorable as she could. 'Pretty please?' she begged. 'Elphie? I'll do the next three, I promise!'

Elphaba crossed her arms. 'Five.'

Glinda choked. '_What_?!'

'You heard me,' Elphaba said, unmoving. 'You already owed me, and now you owe me even more. I'll do this one, but you'll have to do the next five guys.'

Glinda grumbled and muttered some unintelligible, but undoubtedly very inappropriate things under her breath, before conceding. 'Alright, fine!'

Elphaba smiled sweetly at her. Fiyero, however, was frowning. 'Fae,' he began, 'you know I _really _don't like it when you-'

'I know,' she cut him off. 'But it's like I said, Yero – my Resistance job is very important to me, and sometimes things like these need to happen. Like now. It doesn't mean anything, I swear.'

He sighed. 'But still…'

Corrin patted his arm sympathetically. 'I know exactly how you feel,' he said in an attempt to console the prince. 'But think of it this way – you'll only have to see Elphaba doing it once. I'm going to have to watch _my _girlfriend seducing other men _five times _now, thanks to _your _girlfriend.'

That made Fiyero chuckle slightly, and Elphaba smirked at the Resistance leader. 'You're welcome, Corry.'

He threw his hands up in the air. 'Don't call me that!'

Elphaba's smirk only widened.


	18. Chapter 18 Just Killed A Man

**AN: I know I said I wouldn't update Wonderwomen anymore until I finished Shadows, but I figured you could use a break from all the deaths and the guilt feelings and the tragedy... although I doubt this will help much *smirks*.**

**With a cliffy, as promised. And virtual brownies for those who know where the title comes from (I guess that will be all of you, but still ^_^).**

* * *

**Chapter 18. Just Killed A Man**

'Elphie, stop pushing!'

'I'm not! I can't move over or I'll fall out! Now _shut up_, Glin, or he'll hear us!'

'But you're crushing my ribcage!' Glinda whined, at which Elphaba heaved a sigh and scooted a little away from her blonde friend. Glinda wanted to say something else, but Elphaba, who had a better view on the window, clamped her hand over her friend's mouth. 'Ssh. He's going to bed.'

The two women watched from the tree they were sitting in as their target closed the curtains of his bedroom. The lights went off and they stayed perched on their tree branch for a little while longer, until they were fairly certain that the man was asleep.

'Come on.' Elphaba lowered herself onto a branch underneath her and Glinda's, balancing herself against the tree trunk before clambering to another branch and jumping down. Glinda just hung down from the branch she was on and let herself drop to the floor, landing lightly on her feet. 'Where do we go in?'

'Kitchen window,' replied Elphaba, who had investigated the house earlier. The girls sneaked around the house and climbed in through the open window.

'This is way too easy,' said Elphaba as they made their way through the hall and up the stairs. Glinda nodded. 'Thank Oz it is,' she muttered under her breath. But we still need to be careful here, and not mess things up.'

'Which is why _I _will do the spells,' Elphaba jumped in. 'Not you.'

'Am too.'

'Are not. You'll mess this up, Glinda.'

Glinda narrowed her eyes at her friend. 'I might not be as good at magic as you are, Elphaba, but I'm still skilled. I can perform a few stupid simple spells. And besides, you have no right to say anything at all – you're not even supposed to be here.' She grinned wickedly. 'If you don't let me do the spells, I'll tell Corrin that you went on this mission with me.'

Elphaba gritted her teeth. 'You _wouldn't_! For Oz's sake, Glinda, it was your own idea! You asked _me _to come with you!'

'Yes…' She fluttered her eyelashes. 'But Corry doesn't need to know that.' She tapped her chin thoughtfully, still grinning. 'I wonder what he'll say when I tell him that you insisted on coming with me for this mission, while you were actually supposed to be resting to let that shot wound of yours heal…'

'Glinda, you are one mean, wicked little-'

'Ssh.' The blonde held up one hand. 'I thought I heard something.' She looked around, but then shook her head. 'We should be quieter.'

Elphaba crossed her arms and huffed. Glinda turned around and strode through the hallway. 'Really, I don't understand what you're making such a fuss about,' she continued. 'As if I can't perform those spells myself!'

'Remember what happened last time?' Elphaba whispered back, and the blonde frowned. 'That's completely beside the point, Elphie.'

'What? The fact that you _blew up _a man instead of just gave him a silent heart attack with your spell?'

Glinda scowled again. 'Shut up, Elphie. I mispronounced one of the words. No big deal.'

Elphaba sniggered softly. 'I bet the man would beg to differ.' She glared at Glinda. 'And I think his family members would have appreciated it, too, if they had just found him dead in his bed instead of splattered all across the ceiling.'

The blonde fell silent at that. 'I'm sorry,' she said quietly. 'I didn't mean to do that. It was an accident. I promise it won't happen again.'

Elphaba sighed. 'You're right. Maybe I should just trust you… I'm sorry. Perform the spells,' she said tiredly. 'Just do it right this time, please.'

Glinda nodded solemnly. 'I'll try my hardest.'

They waited just outside the man's bedroom. They could hear his snoring inside, which meant that at the very least he was asleep; but they waited a bit longer to confirm their strategy.

'So I go in,' whispered Glinda. 'I'll say the spell that will knock him out, so that he won't feel anything, and then I'll chant the spell that will murder him. Then you help me erase any traces we left.'

'Try to make it a clean murder,' Elphaba warned her friend softly. 'It's not really a disaster or anything if it gets messy, but you know Corrin prefers dignified deaths – quiet, quick, and painless for the victim.'

'I know, Elphie,' said Glinda irritably. 'I know what my boyfriend does and does not prefer.' A mischievous glimmer appeared in her eyes when her own words sunk in, and Elphaba shook her head, stepping back. 'Oh, no. I know what you're thinking about, Glinda, and I don't want to hear it. I know what Corrin prefers when it comes to missions, but I _really _don't want to know what he prefers in… other circumstances.'

Glinda giggled. 'Alright then.' She linked her arm with Elphaba's and poked one fist into the air. 'Let's do this.'

* * *

Fiyero sighed and put the paperwork aside, rubbing his forehead. He had been working for hours, sorting out all kinds of things that came with his position of the Captain of the Guard; paperwork regarding the Gale Force, the progress they had made in their hunt for the Wicked Witches, the goals they had achieved in protecting the Ozians, etcetera etcetera. He was quickly growing tired of it, but it was the only thing that kept his mind away from Elphaba.

He knew it was pathetic. She spent quite some days at his mansion now, usually staying with him when she didn't have any Resistance jobs, and also quite often coming to see him right after she had finished one of her jobs. She'd told him she wouldn't come tonight because Glinda wanted her home, but he missed her. Already.

He sighed again, wondering what the two girls were doing at the moment. Was Glinda giving Elphaba a makeover? Were they gossiping about the men in their life? Or was Glinda just chattering on about one thing or another and was Elphaba curled up somewhere with a book? Was she thinking about him as well or was he really as pathetic as he felt right now?

Just as he thought that, the doorbell rang, and he grunted and rose to his feet. He stretched his back, rubbing his aching muscles. How long had he been working? Much too long, that was for sure.

He made his way downstairs and opened the front door, but there was no one there. Frowning, he looked to the left, then to the right, trying to find someone, anyone; but he was alone. The street was deserted.

Puzzled, he closed the door again, carefully locking it – just in case. When he turned around, however, his heart nearly stopped.

In front of him were two creatures… entirely covered in blood.

* * *

Fiyero already opened his mouth to scream, but then the smaller of the two things shushed him. 'Don't make a sound, Fifi,' it warned him grumpily, 'I _really _don't want the Gale Force on my back.'

'Yes, well, perhaps you should have thought about that _before _you messed up this mission!' the other figure hissed at the first, and Fiyero blinked at them both. 'Fae? Glinda?'

The blonde – though her blonde hair seemed red now – flashed him a smile. 'Hi, Fifi. Long time no see. How are you this wonderful evening?'

He was still staring at them, mouth slightly agape as he took in their appearances. Glinda's normally soft and blonde hair now cascaded down her back in a waterfall of blood and tangles. Elphaba had tied hers back in her usual braid, but otherwise, the girls looked just the same. Bruises on their faces, shoulders, and arms, as if they had been on the receiving end of someone beating them; and the blood. There was blood everywhere. In their hair, on their skin, on their clothes – even their shoes were stained with it.

It took him a while, but finally, Fiyero found his voice again – even though it sounded slightly squeaky. 'Would you girls mind telling me what's going on here?' he demanded in a high voice, and Glinda shrugged. 'Mission. Didn't go entirely as planned.'

'Mission,' Fiyero repeated. He glared at Elphaba. 'You said you would spend the night with Glinda at your home.'

'Otherwise you'd have never let me go!' she protested, and his glare intensified. 'Exactly.'

'Shut up, Fifi,' Glinda waved him away. 'I needed her help.'

'So we were supposed to take out this guy,' Elphaba explained. 'We watched him for a while, waited until he fell asleep, then snuck into his house to get the job done. Everything went well, but then Glinda chanted the spell that was supposed to knock him out before we'd finish him… and that's where it went wrong.'

'Wrong, how?' Fiyero wanted to know, and Elphaba sighed. 'For _some_ reason,' she emphasised, 'the spell didn't work properly – _probably _because Miss Glinda here pronounced one of the words wrong - _again_…'

'I said I was sorry!'

'…and so the man suddenly snapped awake just when we were about to get the job done,' Elphaba continued as if the blonde hadn't said anything. 'That's why it got so messy – when he saw us, he started struggling. I tried to chant the spell that would kill him,' she continued, 'but I could barely get two words out before dear Glinda had already taken her knife out and stabbed the poor man to death.'

'I had to do something before anyone would hear him!' Glinda protested, and Elphaba shook her head. 'I know. I don't blame you. Something _had _to be done – he was screaming bloody murder.'

'And a bloody murder it was,' Glinda deadpanned, making Elphaba snort a laugh.

Fiyero, however, just frowned. 'Not funny,' he said flatly. 'You scared me to death, just showing up in my house like this.' His frown deepened. 'Why did you ring the doorbell?' he added, puzzled. 'Fae usually just comes in through the window.'

Elphaba rolled her eyes. 'Yeah… Glin had already rang it before I could point the window out to her.'

'You nearly gave me a heart attack,' Fiyero muttered, and she moved a bit closer to him, but changed her mind when she realised she was still covered in someone else's blood. 'I'm sorry, Yero,' she said sincerely. 'That wasn't really thoughtful of us.'

His heart melted, the way it always did when she so much as looked at him. 'It's fine. Just give me a warning next time.' He eyed them warily. 'I suppose you'd like to clean up?' He frowned slightly. 'Why did you come here, anyway, instead of just heading back to your home?'

'This was closer,' explained Glinda, already on her way to the bathroom. 'We figured the chance that we were discovered would be smaller if we travelled a shorter distance. Wouldn't want anyone to see us like this. If you're looking for me, I'm in the shower,' she continued in one breath, before storming up the stairs.

Elphaba moved over to the kitchen, where Fiyero wordlessly handed her a towel to clean herself with. As she cleansed the blood off her face, hair, arms, and shoulders, he was watching her. 'You lied to me.'

She bristled and turned around. 'Now wait just a clock-tick,' she said, clearly irritated. 'How many more times do we have to go over this? I _know _you don't like what I do, and I'm _very_ sorry, but I'm not going to stop doing it and that's the end of it.'

'It's not even the fact that you did it,' he said. 'It's the fact that you _lied_ about it.'

'You just admitted yourself that you wouldn't have let me go otherwise!' she protested, and he rolled his eyes. 'As if I could have stopped you!'

'No, you couldn't, so what's the big deal?'

'The big deal is that apparently I can't trust you!' he yelled at her. 'What if something worse had happened, Fae? What if you had gotten hurt? I wouldn't even have known where you were!'

'I'm not giving up my job, Fiyero!'

'I'm not asking you to!' he shouted back at her. 'All I'm asking is for you to be _honest _with me!'

She glared at him. 'Fine. I'll be honest with you next time,' she spat. 'But you know as well as I do that I had to do this.'

He let out a mirthless laugh. 'I don't believe this,' he declared. 'The first thing coming out of your mouth after your promise to be honest with me is yet another lie.'

She crossed her arms, scowling. 'It's the truth!' she insisted, and he shook his head violently. 'Don't give me that crap!' he hissed. 'You did _not _have to do that. You weren't even _supposed _to do that – even Corrin ordered you specifically to stay at home for the next few days at least. You know I don't like the idea of you endangering yourself, but I've accepted it. For you. Because I know how important your job is to you, and I don't want to take that away from you. I'm okay with you following Corrin's orders and going on missions, but I am _not _okay with you disobeying your leader's orders to go off and put yourself on the front line without anyone even _knowing _about it!'

'Who says Corrin didn't order for me to do this mission?' she demanded, and he snorted.

'Stop that, Fae,' he said tiredly. 'Just stop it. I _know _he didn't. I was there the other day, remember? He told you to take a week off. Your next mission is the one you're doing with Glinda, where you have to steal the key from that official. No one ordered you to go off and murder a guy. I'm guessing Glinda had to do it and she asked you to come with her, am I right?'

Her silence told him enough and he shook his head. 'You should have said no. It's not just annoying for Corrin that you're going behind his back, it's also dangerous – both for you and for him and his cause.'

'Oh, shut up, Fiyero!' she snarled at him. 'You've only been in the Resistance for a week or so! What do _you _know about all that?'

'I know how it works in organisations like the Resistance!' he shouted back at her. 'I'm the Captain of one! Stop patronising me – just because you have been through a lot in the past two years, doesn't mean other people's lives were always easy! This may surprise you, but I've been hurt, too, Elphaba! A lot has happened, not just to you, but to _everyone_, so don't pretend that you're the only one who knows what the world is like!'

She didn't respond right away. She put the towel on the counter, slowly, and then looked at him, her eyes narrowed. 'You know what?' she said in a dangerously low voice.

Without warning, she snatched a glass from the counter and chunked it at Fiyero's head – he could only duck just in time. The glass shattered against the wall, shards of it ending up in his hair.

'Go to _hell_, Fiyero Tiggular!' she screeched.

And with that, she strode out of the house, slamming the door shut behind her.

* * *

'Fifi?' asked Glinda softly. 'Are you okay?'

Upon hearing the noise, she had come down, and had found Fiyero in the kitchen, fuming. He had told her what had happened and now the blonde was sitting on a chair at the kitchen table, watching him worriedly as he paced back and forth.

'Fine,' he spat. 'I'm perfect. Can't you see? She's gone, but that's fine. I can live without her. I don't need her. I mean, I knew this would happen from the start, right? And now it did. She's gone. And she's not coming back.'

'Fiyero…' Glinda said sympathetically, but he brushed her off. 'No, don't feel sorry for me. Like I said, I should have seen it coming. I mean, she promised me that she wouldn't run away, but apparently, she's been lying to me lately, so I guess that was just another lie as well. It just proves my point – that I can't trust her. That's the end of it.'

'Fiyero!' Glinda said sharply. 'Stop feeling sorry for yourself and use your brain for once. I know it's there, even though it's well-hidden.'

He glared at her.

'You know Elphie,' the blonde continued. 'She's got one hell of a temper. You just pissed her off, that's all. She'll come back.'

'I pissed _her _off?' he bristled. '_She _has been lying to _me_! If anyone should be pissed right now, it's _me_!'

Glinda placed a calming hand on his arm. 'I know, Fiyero. You were right, and that's probably why she got so angry – because she realised that, too, and she _hates _it when she's wrong about something. Just give her time and you'll see that she's going to come crawling back to you to apologise.'

He sighed and sank down onto a chair. 'And what if she doesn't?' he said miserably, and Glinda gave him a pointed look. 'Well, you don't need her,' she said in a manly voice, imitating Fiyero. 'You can live without her. Remember?'

That earned her another glare and she giggled. 'Okay, not funny. I know you didn't mean that. Just don't worry, Fifi – if she won't come back on her own, I'll _make _her come back.'

He huffed. Just then, the doorbell rang, and Glinda raised both eyebrows. 'That was sooner than I had anticipated.'

Fiyero frowned. 'Too soon.' He rose to his feet and walked into the hallway. When he opened the door and saw Elphaba there, he was relieved, but he also felt his anger bubble to the surface again. 'Elphaba.'

She looked back up at him, and his attention was drawn to her body. When he saw that her skin and dress were once again covered in fresh blood, he clenched his teeth. 'I don't believe this.'

'Fiyero-'

'You just went off to kill _another _guy?' he yelled at her. 'We just talked about this, we had a _fight _over this, and you just ran out of my house and straight into another of those missions of yours? My opinion, the way I feel about these things – do you care about it _at all_?'

She just made a choked sound. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened the again to look at her wearily. 'Now whose blood is _this _again?' he asked impatiently.

She looked up at him again, and only now, with a start, did he notice the pain evident in her eyes, the fact that she had gritted her teeth, the way in which she was slightly slumped over. He looked back at her face, startled, as she said simply, 'Mine.'

Then she collapsed on his front porch, unconscious.


	19. Chapter 19 How Can I Be Sure

**AN: I know I told you that this chapter would be depressing, but it won't be this one - it'll be the next. This one is kind of a filler. With fluff. For Lexie.**

**Yep, the chapter title was the Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen :). Love that song.**

**PocketSevens: Thank you so much, my dear citizen *nods politely*. No, seriously, though, thank you :).**

**Musicgal: Um... Well... I hate to disappoint you, but that was an accident :$. Are you serious? It's actually 'sneaked', not 'snuck'? I usually use 'snuck', but as I've told you before, English is not my native language, so I'm generally going on what other people write in their fanfics (which, as you pointed out, is usually 'snuck'). Now I'm curious, though. If the past time of 'sneak' is 'sneaked', then where did 'snuck' come from? :P**

**Virtual whatever-edible-it-is-you-want for Haquikah, for being my 200th reviewer! :)**

**Fae Tiggular: At first, I was planning on leaving that part as a cliffy :P but then the chapter would be too short, so I was like, 'Ah, well, I'll just make up a new cliffy'. And so I did, as you all know ^_^.**

* * *

**Chapter 19. How Can I Be Sure**

'Glinda!' Fiyero screamed. 'Help me!'

She came rushing in from the kitchen. Her eyes widened when she saw that Fiyero was holding Elphaba in his arms, who was covered in fresh blood and apparently unconscious. 'What in Oz happened?'

'I don't know, but she's bleeding!' Fiyero rushed with her to the living room, carefully placing her on the couch. 'I'm going to get a doctor!'

Glinda stopped him by grabbing his arm. 'Fiyero,' she said urgently. 'Most Ozians may be gullible and easy to deceive, but _any _doctor that is asked to come and treat a bleeding green woman with a shot wound in her side, can figure out that he has the Wicked Witch of the West in front of him. Do you want to get her thrown in Southstairs?'

'I want her to stay alive!' Fiyero shouted back, and Glinda pushed him back. 'Then do something!'

He took a deep breath to calm himself, then nodded. 'Okay. I'm going to find my first aid box – I must have it somewhere upstairs. You stay with her, try to find out where all the blood comes from, and if you can, try to clean it a little, okay?' With that, he dashed off.

'Fiyero!' Glinda called after him, panicking. 'I can't do that! There's blood _everywhere_!'

He didn't respond, and so she turned, trembling a little. She looked at her friend on the couch, her normally emerald green skin faded to a sickly gray colour, eyes still closed, and she swallowed. 'This has to happen,' she muttered to herself. 'You can't let Elphie die. Okay, yes, so there's blood. Get over it, Glinda.' She took a deep breath, then knelt down next to Elphaba.

By the time Fiyero came downstairs again, she had cleaned away most of the blood and was pressing a piece of cloth against the shot wound in Elphaba's side. 'It's this one,' she said to Fiyero when he entered the room, slightly out of breath from running up and down the stairs. 'The graze wound she got while escaping the Gale Force. The one in her side.'

Fiyero frowned. 'But all the blood…' he said, puzzled. 'Wouldn't the bandage have absorbed that?'

Glinda looked a bit sheepish. 'Yeah… she might have removed the bandage before our mission, because she thought that would allow her to move around better,' she confessed, and Fiyero's eyes darkened. 'She _didn't_,' he growled.

Glinda sighed. 'She said it didn't need stitches,' she continued, 'but I'm guessing it did – and she probably shouldn't have gone about climbing trees and fulfilling missions with an injury like this one.' There was a guilty look in her eyes. 'I promise I'll never ask her to come with me again when she's not supposed to,' she said softly.

Fiyero rubbed his face, then gave her a shaky half-smile. 'It wasn't your fault. She's just too damn stubborn for her own good.'

He knelt down next to Glinda, staring at the wound. Then he confessed, 'I'm not really sure what to do about this.'

Glinda sighed again. 'Give me that.' She pulled the first aid kit from his hands and opened it. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she removed the cloth and carefully started cleaning the open wound with something from a bottle that was supposed to disinfect it. 'Oh, Oz,' she moaned, feeling bile rising in her throat at the mere sight of the wound. She swallowed. 'So much blood.'

Fiyero gingerly placed his hand on her shoulder. 'You can do it, Glin,' he said quietly. 'You're doing great.'

Glinda swallowed again, then took a needle and thread and started stitching Elphaba's skin together. It took her a while, but when she was done, she cleaned the wound again and started bandaging it up. Finally, she put the bandage roll back into the box and closed it. 'There.' She exhaled slowly and clearly audible. 'Thank Oz. I didn't think I could do that – did you see that? I didn't even faint!'

Fiyero patted her shoulder. 'Very well done, Glin,' he said sincerely. 'I'm proud of you.' He frowned slightly. 'I'm still worried, though,' he admitted. 'Why isn't she waking up?'

Glinda scowled. 'Because she's lazy.' She stalked off to the kitchen, and before Fiyero knew it, she returned with a glass of water, clearly about to unceremoniously splash the entire content of the glass into Elphaba's face.

'Glinda!' Fiyero exclaimed, horrified. He grabbed her arm. 'Is that how you usually treat patients?'

'It's how I usually treat stubborn green girls,' Glinda said through gritted teeth, and Fiyero couldn't suppress a small grin. 'Seriously, though. You can't do this-'

Glinda didn't even let him finish that sentence before moving the glass to her other hand and throwing the water in Elphaba's face.

'Glinda!' Fiyero yelped again, but when Elphaba started to splutter and cough and her eyes opened, he didn't really care about the means Glinda had used anymore. 'Glinda!' the green girl yelled, trying to sit up. 'What the hell- _ow_!' She gasped and dropped back down as a stab of pain shot up through her side.

The blonde girl just smirked at her friend. 'It was your own fault,' she declared.

'What did I do?' Elphaba asked in exasperation, and Glinda counted on her fingers, 'You didn't tell me your bullet wound needed stitches. You removed the bandage. You went on a mission while you should have been resting – although I'll admit that was partly my fault. You argued with Fiyero, which was _really _stupid of you, since he loves you and you said some really mean things to him. Then you ran out the door, which was also really stupid. And you nearly gave us a heart attack. That's why you _really _deserved that glass of water in your face.'

Satisfied with her speech, Glinda nodded. 'And now I'm leaving the room so that you two can make up and be all mushy and romantic together,' she declared, before matching her words with actions and leaving the room, closing the door behind her.

Elphaba was still spluttering a little, and Fiyero handed her a towel to dry her face. While doing that, she asked gruffly, 'What happened?'

'You blacked out on my front porch,' he said. 'We took you inside and Glinda stitched you up and took care of your injury.'

Elphaba's eyes widened. 'Glinda?' She moaned and let herself drop back onto the couch. 'I'm dead,' she stated seriously, and a small smile tugged at the corners of Fiyero's lips. 'Actually, she did a great job.'

The dark-haired witch raised an eyebrow at him. 'I have trouble believing that, but we shall see.' Then her face grew serious again and she looked down, avoiding his gaze. 'I'm sorry I ran off earlier,' she muttered to the cushions on the couch, so softly that Fiyero could barely hear it. 'And I'm sorry I said all those things. I guess that wasn't really fair… I mean… I guess you were right. So I'm sorry.'

She still wasn't looking at him, but he took her hand and squeezed it softly. 'It's okay, Fae. I'm sorry, too.' He cocked his head a little to the side. 'One question, though.'

She looked at him questioningly.

'Why do you always feel the need to throw things at my head when you're angry?'

She flushed a little. 'You knew I had a temper from the moment you met me, Tiggular,' she grunted. 'Me hitting you across the head with a book should have given it away.'

He chuckled. 'That was quite the wake up call, yes.'

'And you still wanted to be with me,' she continued, 'so you're going to have to suck it up, because the temper is included in the package.' A look of uncertainty flashed in her eyes for a moment. 'Unless you want to change your mind, of course.'

He squeezed her hand again and softly kissed her cheek. 'Never.'

She smiled at him. 'Well, then,' she said. 'In that case, the only advice I can give you is to duck whenever I get angry with you.'

He nodded, still smiling. 'I'll keep that in mind.' He brought their joined hands up to his face and pressed his lips to her knuckles. 'I'm really glad that you're okay,' he said softly. 'You scared the living daylights out of me when you showed up on my doorstep like that. _Twice _in one night.'

A small smile graced her features. 'Sorry about that.'

He shook his head. 'You don't have to be sorry for scaring me,' he said. 'But I want you to stop doing this to yourself.'

Her temper immediately flared up again. 'Doing what, exactly?' she asked through clenched teeth, but he looked at her, unwavering. 'Putting yourself in danger. Fae, you have to stop being this careless about your health. If you won't do it for yourself, or for me or Glinda, then do it for… for the Animals you want to save. You can't help them anymore if you die because you're too restless and reckless to stay put for a few days.'

She gritted her teeth, then sighed, and her shoulders slumped in defeat. 'Alright,' she muttered. 'Fine. I'll stay here for a while.'

He smiled and kissed her forehead. 'Good girl. I'm going to take care of you, and I'm not going to let you out of my sight for at least the next week.'

She immediately shot up again, though that action caused her to wince because of the jab of pain shooting through her left side. 'An entire _week_?!'

'Not a day less,' he told her sternly. 'And your mission with Glinda is not until next week, right? So you can't use that as an excuse to get out of here. Glinda will let Corrin know – I'm sure he'll agree with me.'

Elphaba dropped her head back against the pillow. 'I'm sure of that, too,' she muttered. 'That's the problem.'

Fiyero laughed softly. He moved her a little, so that he could sit on the couch behind her, with her back resting against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her hair. 'I just want you to stay safe, Fae,' he said softly. 'That's all. It's not my intention to keep you away from your cause – not at all. If it makes you happy, it makes me happy, too. All I'm asking of you is to be _careful_, because I love you and I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you.'

She didn't say anything, just leaned back against him. After a while, she drifted off, and he carried her upstairs, changing her into one of his shirts before tucking her in and going back downstairs to find Glinda.

'Hey,' he said when she entered the kitchen, where she was sitting. She smiled at him. 'Is Elphie okay?'

He nodded. 'I think so.'

'Take good care of her,' the blonde girl said, rising to her feet. 'If you don't mind, I'm going back home now. I still have another mission tomorrow… Let me know if anything happens, okay?' she urged him, and he promised her that. When she had left, he went upstairs, crawled in the bed with Elphaba, and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

When Elphaba woke up the next morning, the sun was shining through the windows and she realised with a start that it must be quite late. Gingerly, she left the bed and rose to her feet, making her way over towards the window while seeking support from several objects in the room. Her side was stinging, but as long as she moved slowly and carefully, she was okay.

She stepped outside onto the balcony, breathing in deeply. The sun was already up high, making all the green in the City sparkle, and she squinted against the bright light. What time was it? Probably around eleven o'clock. She couldn't ever remember sleeping for that long, but she had probably needed it… and she _had _lost a pretty impressive amount of blood.

She leaned her arms on the balustrade, watching the people in the streets below. She wasn't really worried about anyone spotting her; she knew from experience that people rarely ever looked up to see if there happened to be a Wicked Witch above their heads. And even if they did, she doubted they would see anything – there was a big tree in front of the balcony, and she blended in with the leaves fairly well.

Suddenly, she heard a thumping sound coming from the bedroom, followed by a muttered curse and then a panicked, 'Fae? Fae, where are you?'

She wanted to call out to him, but just then, there was more noise – it sounded as if he was bumping against his desk, causing all kinds of things to fall to the floor – and then he started shouting again, panic clear in his voice. 'Fae!'

'I'm over here, Yero!' she called back, slowly making her way to the doorway of the balcony. When he saw her, his eyes widened and he rushed towards her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly to him. 'Thank Oz.'

She looked up at him. 'Yero, what's wrong?' she asked him worriedly. 'Are you okay?'

He ran his fingers through his hair, looking a bit sheepish. 'I'm sorry,' he apologised. 'It's… it's stupid. It's nothing.' He stepped outside onto the balcony with her, but she wasn't going to let him off the hook this easily. 'Yero.'

He stopped, but didn't turn around.

She limped towards him, laying her hand on his arm. 'You can tell me,' she said softly, before adding with her usual amount of sarcasm, 'There's nothing I could possibly find more stupid than you not telling me what's wrong because you think that I will think it's stupid.'

The corners of his mouth turned slightly upwards at that, and now he did turn, enveloping her in his arms and burying his face in her soft raven hair. 'It's… it's nothing, really,' he confessed. 'I just… I had a dream, a nightmare, and then I woke up and you were gone, and I kind of panicked a little.'

She leaned into him, nestling her head under his chin. 'It's not stupid,' she assured him. 'I understand.'

She pulled back a little to look up at him. 'What was it about? The nightmare?'

He swallowed. 'All kinds of things.' She felt his grip around her waist tighten. 'When you jumped off that roof at the Emerald Palace,' he said quietly. 'Only in my dream it didn't end all that well.'

She just pressed her cheek against his chest, feeling him pulling her closer. 'And this,' he continued just as softly. 'There was you, and bullets, and a lot of blood…'

She laced her fingers with his, squeezing his hand comfortingly. 'It's okay, Yero,' she whispered, and she felt him kiss the top of her head. 'I know.'

She took a deep breath. 'And… I won't run away again,' she promised him quietly. 'Or, well… I can't really promise you that, because when I get angry, I just… I don't really think straight. But I'll always come back – I can promise that much.'

He seemed a bit startled. 'How did you know-'

She smiled. 'I know you,' she told him. 'And I know that me running away probably hurt you even more than me throwing a glass at you and yelling at you that I hate you.'

'It did,' he confessed. 'Although I didn't really love the latter, either.'

'I'm sorry.' She sighed and leaned heavier against him. 'I really am.'

He stroked her hair. 'It's okay,' he murmured. 'I know you, too, after all. I understand.'

She suddenly found it hard to believe that not even that long ago, when they had been spending the night in the dungeons together, she had pointed out to him that he didn't know her at all. And he didn't, back then. They hadn't seen each other in two years and they'd both changed, both of them going through a lot without the other.

But now, even though they still didn't know everything there was to know about each other… she still felt like he knew her. He knew who she really was, deep down. He understood her even when she didn't understand herself.

She stood on her tiptoes and softly kissed his lips, splaying her hands on his back, pressing herself closer to him. 'I love you,' she told him, and he smiled – that lopsided smile that still gave her a fluttery feeling inside. 'I love you, too.'

He kissed her again, harder this time, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her flush against him as he deepened the kiss. She didn't really want to stop, but when his hand accidentally touched her side, she couldn't help but wince and, of course, he noticed. He pulled back immediately. 'I'm sorry.'

She shook her head. 'It's okay.' She made a face. 'I think I might need to sit down, though.'

Immediately, he was all over her, concern sparking in his sapphire blue eyes. 'Here, let me help you,' he offered, wrapping his arm around her to steady her and let her lean on him. She was perfectly capable of walking on her own, but just for this once, she let him hover; she understood that he was not so much helping _her _as he was helping himself. He needed to reassure himself that she was really here and that she wouldn't leave again.

'Where's Glinda?' she asked him as he eased her down onto the bed. He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead. 'Gone back home. She had another mission today.'

Elphaba nodded. 'Of course.' Her stomach grumbled audibly, and they both looked down. Fiyero grinned at her. 'Shall I go and bring up some food?'

She chuckled. 'I think that would be wisest, yes.'

He smiled, giving her another soft kiss before straightening and moving towards the door. 'I'll be right back,' he promised her, leaving the room.

She sighed and let herself fall back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Sometimes, she wasn't so sure if this had been the right decision anymore.

She was trying, but she knew she couldn't keep living two lives. Someday, her relationship with Fiyero would endanger her cause – or just the other way around. She didn't want to lose either, but she couldn't keep this up forever. And what if someone discovered what Fiyero was doing? That he was in _love _with the Wicked Witch of the West?

There were times when she felt like she should tell Fiyero to leave, to turn her back on him and never look back, focusing on her cause again and living the rest of her life without him. But at the mere thought of doing that, her stomach churned and an empty feeling washed over her. She couldn't do that. She knew it was selfish, but she loved him too much.

The other option was to turn her back on the Resistance and run away with Fiyero. To her own shock, she thought that she might just be capable of doing that. She would feel bad about doing it, yes; the Resistance still meant a lot to her, and it would hurt her to not be helping anyone anymore, not to mention not ever seeing Corrin, Mey, or Glinda again, or any of the other Resistance members… but if she had to choose between the Resistance or Fiyero, she discovered, much to her own surprise, she would choose Fiyero ten times over.

But still.

She sighed again. She just didn't know what to do anymore.


	20. Chapter 20 Lady In The Tight Black Pants

**AN: Yeah, I'm procrastinating the depressing stuff yet again. Next chapter, I promise. (And yes, it has something to do with the mission.)**

**And yes, the title of this chapter is based on the Sister Act song :P. Hey, lady in the long black dress... Did I mention that it's my favourite song from the musical? (Yes, I did. I know I did.)**

**Musicgal: I actually went and looked it up, and you're right. From now on, I solemnly swear to never say 'snuck' again (even though I kind of like the word), but always 'sneaked'. Unless I forget or mess up, but in that case, feel free to point it out to me. (I probably said 'snuck' a lot in my previous stories. I'm not going to change those, too lazy for that, but from now on I'll stop doing it :3.)**

**Sooooo, thank you all so much for the reviews, and on with it!**

* * *

**Chapter 20. Hey, Lady In The Tight Black Pants**

Elphaba managed to stay put for five days. She had grown incredibly restless and itchy, begging – and often yelling at – Fiyero to _please _let her go on a mission; and finally, on the fifth day, he reluctantly agreed.

She immediately brightened. 'For real?'

He grumbled. 'Yes, well,' he said crossly, 'you've been so snappy towards me for the past few days that I'm afraid I'm going to get more objects thrown at my head if I keep you down much longer.'

She grinned at him. 'You know me well.'

He rolled his eyes in reply, then sighed. 'Fine, then. I'll stop coddling you from now on.'

Her eyes were shining. 'And you'll let me go on that mission?' she prodded. He sighed heavily, then reluctantly nodded. 'Fine.'

'Thank you!' She flung her arms around his neck and kissed him. 'I'm off to Glinda, then!'

'Wait, what?' he protested, his face falling. 'Now?'

Elphaba nodded. 'That mission she needs to do is tonight,' she explained. 'I promised I'd come and help her if I could.'

He eyed her warily. 'And what is this mission, exactly?' he asked her.

She kissed him lightly in an attempt to comfort him. 'Nothing extremely dangerous,' she promised him, but she didn't elaborate and he didn't trust it one bit. 'Fae?'

She bit her lip, looking just the slightest bit guilty, and he grunted. 'I knew it.'

'It's not _that _dangerous!' she protested, but he kept looking at her, tapping his foot impatiently. '_What_, Fae?'

She shuffled around a little. 'A robbery.'

He pretty much exploded. '_What?!_'

'Just a hit and run,' she promised him. 'I knock him out with a spell, Glinda grabs his wallet, and we'll be gone before anyone even notices we were there in the first place.'

Fiyero raised an eyebrow, clearly annoyed. 'His _wallet_? What, you're turning into ordinary thieves now?' he snarled. 'I thought everything you did was for the greater good?'

She whirled around, eyes blazing, and he inadvertently took a step back. 'Be careful with what you say, Fiyero,' she hissed. 'And don't you dare doubt that what we're doing is for the greater good. I can't believe you would think that low of us, that you believe we would just steal money to… to do what, exactly? Go shopping?' she asked sarcastically.

'Well,' he said, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. 'In Glinda's case, that doesn't even seem too unlikely.'

She stared at him in exasperation, but then her face broke into a grin. 'Actually, I think you're right. I should probably keep a close eye on her during this mission,' she said, eyes sparkling with mischief, and he laughed, relieved that she didn't look murderous anymore. And he had made her smile. That was definitely preferable over her tossing a vase at his head.

'So what _do _you need the money for?' he asked her, and she shook her head. 'We don't,' she said. 'We need the seal ring that's inside his wallet. We're just going to steal the entire wallet because one: it's easier, and two: everyone will think it's a normal robbery, instead of immediately making the connection with the Resistance. Keeps us out of the picture a little, you know.'

He nodded, impressed. 'Clever.'

She flashed him a grin. 'I know.' She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him briefly. 'I'm going now.'

'Will you be coming back?' he asked, and she hesitated. 'I'm not sure,' she said finally. 'Depends on how long this is going to take. If I don't come back, I'll try to sneak away from Glinda in the morning.' She quirked an eyebrow at him. 'I'm coming in through the window,' she warned him, 'so please don't try and knock me out with a baseball bat again.'

'That was ages ago!' he protested, and she laughed. 'And it didn't even work. But still.'

He stuck out his tongue and she kissed him again. 'Bye, Yero.'

'Bye, Fae. Good luck.' He let her out of the door, watching her until she disappeared around a corner.

He wasn't aware of the fact that someone else was watching the both of them as well.

* * *

'I told you,' Elphaba said, panting, but still sounding angry, 'I _told _you you should have let _me _do the spell!'

'You said that last time,' Glinda pointed out breathlessly, and Elphaba rolled her eyes – she managed to do that quite impressively even while they were running. 'Yes, I did. Why did I give in to you _again_?' she asked in exasperation.

They rounded a corner, Glinda speeding up a little to keep up with her friend. 'Because I need to practice!'

'Practice in your own time, then, not during a mission!' Elphaba jumped over a pile of rubbish and scrambled up against a fence, extending her hand to help Glinda up. They jumped down on the other side and started running again.

Elphaba risked a glance over her shoulder; the Gale Force was still behind them. Just perfect.

'I thought I could do it!' Glinda cried, and Elphaba dodged a trash can. 'Oz dammit, Glinda!' the green girl yelled. 'This was the _third _spell you messed up in a few weeks!'

'I'm sorry!'

'Sorry isn't going to get us out of this mess!'

'It might.' Glinda suddenly stopped running, tossed her hair and blinked her blue eyes, batting her lashes innocently. 'If I look at them like this, and ask them to let us go…'

'Won't work!' Elphaba grabbed her friend's hand and yanked her around a corner, both of them speeding up again. They turned left at the end of the street and then right again, into a small alleyway.

'In here!' The raven-haired witch quickly sneaked through a crack in the wall, pulling Glinda with her. They huddled in the small niche behind the crack, trying to breathe as quietly as possible.

'I can't believe this,' Elphaba whispered harshly. 'Glin, we're the best. That's why Corrin picked us for these kinds of important missions. When have we started screwing up?'

'When we found love,' Glinda whispered back, and Elphaba fell silent, realising to her utter horror that there might actually be truth in that. 'But…'

Glinda sighed. 'Look, Elphie,' she said quietly. 'Don't start feeling guilty about messing up missions. It was my fault, not yours. _You _manage to stay focused, whether you're thinking of Fiyero or not. _I _am the one constantly mispronouncing the spells… I'm really sorry,' she said, near tears. 'You can do the spells next time, I promise.'

Elphaba looked at her blonde friend, even though the small niche was so dark that she could see nothing but the faint sparkle of tears in her cerulean eyes. 'It's okay,' she whispered. 'You just need to practice more, and try to concentrate. We've survived so far, haven't we? And this time we succeeded, too. It wasn't as quiet and inconspicuous as it was supposed to be, but we have the wallet.' She held it up for Glinda to see, and the blonde laughed softly. 'That, at least, is true.'

Their task had been simple: follow the target, wait until he is alone, then knock him out with a spell, take his wallet, and walk away.

They had been following him for about half an hour before they found themselves alone with him, after which Glinda had begged Elphaba to let her perform the spell. Elphaba had agreed, figuring the blonde would have learned her lesson about mispronouncing spells by now. Obviously, she had been wrong.

As had been the case with the last knock-out spell, the man had suddenly shot up from his seemingly unconscious state, just as the girls had waggled the wallet out of his pocket. He had immediately leapt to his feet and yelled, 'Thieves! Stop them! Those girls robbed me!' Unfortunately, a few Gale Force soldiers had been around as well. Glinda and Elphaba had bolted, and the soldiers had been chasing after them through half the City.

They stayed in the small niche for a long time before Elphaba dared to poke her head through the crevice to look into the alleyway. 'They're gone,' she breathed, and Glinda sighed. 'Thank Oz.'

'Now,' said Elphaba sternly, moving out of the niche and into the alley. 'Let's get this wallet back to Corrin before any other accidents happen.'

Glinda blushed. 'I said I was sorry…'

'Just promise me you'll practice your spells,' Elphaba told her, and the blonde sighed and grumbled. 'I promise.'

'Good girl.' Elphaba peeked around a corner before beckoning Glinda. 'Come on. Let's go.'

* * *

When the two girls approached the door to Corrin's office, the guard standing outside took one good look at Elphaba, then stepped aside without another word. She grinned at him and walked past him, entering Corrin's office.

'Elphie,' Glinda whispered. 'Why didn't you have to say the password?'

Elphaba's grin broadened. 'I guess you could say that the guard and I reached a mutual understanding.'

Glinda frowned. 'What kind of understanding?' She closed the door behind her and looked at her friend questioningly.

Elphaba sniggered. 'He'll let me through without me having to say the password, and he will stay safely with both his feet on the ground.'

Glinda's confused frown just deepened. 'Both feet on the… I don't get it,' she declared. Elphaba patted her head. 'You don't have to, my sweet.'

'Stop acting as if I am your pet dog!' complained Glinda.

'Girls!' Corrin interrupted them impatiently. They both looked at him, giving him innocent smiles – in all honesty, they had completely forgotten he was even there.

Now, Glinda hopped over to his desk and perched on it, leaning forward to peck his lips. 'Hi, dearest.'

Corrin rolled his eyes. 'You two are impossible.' He looked at them. 'Do you have the ring?'

Elphaba nodded and handed him the wallet. He took out the seal ring and examined it, then nodded, satisfied. 'Very good.'

Glinda squealed and yanked the wallet out of Corrin's grip. 'Oooh, shopping money!' she exclaimed when she saw the amount of money inside.

Elphaba, remembering her conversation with Fiyero earlier, quickly snatched the wallet away from the blonde. 'Down, girl.'

Glinda glared at her. 'Elphie!'

'Are you reprimanding me for taking your 'shopping money' or for treating you like a pet dog?' the green girl asked, and Glinda huffed. 'Both.'

'Too bad.' Elphaba handed the wallet back to Corrin, then ruffled Glinda's hair. 'Who's a good girl?' she cooed, smirking. 'Yes, you're such a good girl!'

Glinda swatted at her hand.

Corrin buried his face in his hands.

'So, Corry,' Glinda said happily, sitting down on the corner of his desk again, causing a pile of papers to shift to one side dangerously. Corrin quickly leapt forward to prevent the pile from falling to the floor. He glared at Glinda, but the blonde didn't even notice it. She waggled her legs. 'Can I have-'

'No, Glinda, you can_not _have the money from the poor guy's wallet,' sighed Corrin. Glinda pouted. 'But Corry, I'm your girlfriend! You're supposed to spoil me!'

'No.' He shoved her off his desk. 'Now get out of here, you two. Report back to me after your next mission is done,' he reminded them. 'I need that key as soon as possible.'

Elphaba nodded. 'Will do. We'll try to stop by right afterwards, and otherwise we'll be there in the morning.'

'Alright. I'll see you then.' Corrin gave a small wave and re-focused on his paperwork, but Glinda stayed behind.

'Corry?' she said in a whiny voice.

He didn't even look up. 'Mm?'

'Can I stay over at your place tonight?' She pouted. 'Elphie is always with Fiyero now…'

'Hey, leave me out of this,' Elphaba interrupted her firmly. '_You're _the one that always spends the night at Corrin's. I'm just following the example you already set.'

Glinda stuck out her tongue. 'Whatever, Elphie. Cor-ry…' she begged. 'I want to have a nice romantic evening with you!'

Elphaba rolled her eyes. 'I see that I'm no longer needed here,' she declared. 'I'm going back to Fiyero.'

Glinda, in the meantime, had wiggled her way into Corrin's lap and was looking at him seductively. 'You do that, Elphie,' she mumbled, before kissing Corrin.

Elphaba made a face and closed the door behind her.

* * *

'Elphie?' Glinda whispered.

Elphaba hugged herself, shivering in the cold night air – and in her thin clothes. Fiyero went to wrap his arm around her, but she swatted him away. 'Yes.'

'What is he doing here?' the blonde asked bluntly, nodding at Fiyero. He narrowed his eyes at her. 'Hey!'

Elphaba sighed. 'I couldn't get rid of him,' she said tiredly.

Glinda glared at her. 'Couldn't, or didn't want to?'

'Believe me,' Elphaba assured her, 'I do _not _want him there when my job is to seduce some other guy, but he insisted on coming along. To protect me, he says, but I think he just wants to make sure I don't go too far.' She batted her eyelashes at him. 'You do know that I'm going to push it to the very limit now, right?' she asked him. 'Just to annoy you?'

'That's not why I came along!' he protested. 'I don't want to make sure _you _don't go too far – I trust you! I just want to make sure that… that _guy _won't go too far!'

Elphaba rolled her eyes. 'Yes, well, you're not coming into the bedroom with us.'

His eyes nearly fell out of his sockets. 'The… the bed-'

'Relax, Fifi,' Glinda said, rolling her eyes as well, grinning widely. 'They don't _do _anything. She just lures him inside his bedroom, teases him a little, then she says she has to go to the bathroom, leaves, I come out, knock the guy unconscious-'

'Not literally this time, please,' Elphaba warned her. 'Just use the spell… You _have _been practicing it, haven't you?' she suddenly asked, narrowing her eyes. Glinda just huffed and crossed her arms. 'Yes, I have. I can do it, Elphie. Trust me.'

'That didn't work out too well last time.'

'Elphie!'

'Or the time before that,' Elphaba added sarcastically. 'Or before _that_…'

'We get your point!' Glinda cried. Then she looked at Fiyero again. 'Anyway, so I knock the guy unconscious, we get what we came for, and we leave again. That's all there is to it.'

Fiyero looked unhappy, but before he could open his mouth, Elphaba cut in sternly, 'You have no right to speak, Tiggular. You wanted to come with me, then you're going to have to watch without attacking anyone.' She smirked. 'Gonna be hard for you, isn't it?'

He shot her a glare, but kept his mouth shut.

'I'm going inside,' said Glinda. She pulled Fiyero with her. 'Come on.'

Elphaba nodded. 'I'll go and stand around the corner, wait until he arrives.'

Glinda and Fiyero went inside, and Elphaba waited outside in the cold, trying to keep her teeth from chattering. Luckily, their target, lieutenant Ross, arrived not too long thereafter; she waited a minute or so before following him inside.

She located Fiyero and Glinda in a corner, then the lieutenant at the bar. She slipped into the bar crutch next to his. 'Well, hello there, sugar,' she said in a seductive voice.

His head immediately turned and he eyed her up and down in interest. He gave her a half-hearted bow. 'My fair lady,' he replied, kissing her hand. She giggled exaggeratedly and he raised his eyebrows. 'I've never seen such a fair lady in black pants before.'

_That's because your average fair lady doesn't need to take into account the fact that she might need to sneak through a window or climb a tree._ She wore dresses to her missions, sometimes, but she had found that they were much too impractical, should something go wrong; therefore she preferred trousers.

But instead of saying that, she threw her head back in her neck, cackling. 'Oh, sir,' she purred, snaking one arm around his neck and batting her eyelashes at him. 'I can show you so many more things you've never seen before.'

She could see Fiyero looking at her from the other end of the bar. He looked pretty unhappy. When he saw that she was looking at him, he gestured with his flat hand across his throat – did he want her to break this off or was he saying that he was going to murder her when this was over? She wasn't sure. Either way, she thought he was being childish, and so she stuck out her tongue at him. There. She wasn't going to let him come between her and her cause.

Ross' grin made it clear that she was succeeding in her task. He groped her behind, almost making her jump, but she managed to keep herself in check. Ugh. What a creep.

She gave a girlish giggle. 'Sir, this is a public place!' she protested daintily. She looked up at him coyly. 'Unless you want to take this somewhere more private, of course?' she said with a suggestive wink.

His grin widened and he offered her his hand. 'Naturally, my sweet lady,' he said, bowing again. She rolled her eyes behind his back, but followed him nonetheless.

She smiled to herself. This was going to be a piece of cake.

* * *

**Not really, Elphie. Not really. That's all I'm gonna say.**


	21. Chapter 21 Mission: Impossible

**AN: I'm going to give you all a warning here: this chapter is angsty, and if you're not comfortable with (mention of) (almost-)rape, you probably shouldn't read it. Not that I go into so much detail, but still. Yeah, that kind of gives away what's going to happen, but I thought it would be just fair to warn you beforehand.**

**And a cliffy (at least, I think it counts as a cliffy). 'Cause I can.**

* * *

**Chapter 21. Mission: Impossible**

'Where is she going?' Fiyero whispered as he and Glinda entered the bar and positioned themselves at one of the tables, from where they could overview the entire bar.

'She waits outside,' said Glinda. 'Our target is lieutenant Ross of the Gillikin Army. He's one of the few people that has a key to… well, I don't know to where – Corry never tells me that – but it's important to the Resistance. Anyhow… Fifi? Are you okay?'

He was looking immensely pale, and she waved a hand in front of his face. 'Fiyero?'

He snapped out of it, blinking and looking at her, a terrified expression on his face. 'We have to get her out of here.'

Glinda was confused. 'Fiyero, what-'

Just then, however, the lieutenant walked in, still in uniform, and ordered a whiskey. Elphaba entered not much later, positioning herself on a crutch next to him and talking to him.

Fiyero cursed under his breath.

Elphaba threw her head in her neck and laughed about something he'd said, after which she inched closer to him, placing her hand on his arm. Glinda grinned. Her friend really was getting better and better at this.

'Glinda.' Fiyero's voice brought her back to their conversation. He was leaning over the table, his sapphire eyes more serious than she had ever seen them. 'I know lieutenant Ross,' Fiyero said urgently. 'We've met a couple of times during the past two years. Glinda… she can't go home with him. If she does…' He took a deep breath. 'He's known for his… escapades with women.'

Glinda was still puzzled. 'Yes,' she said slowly. 'That's why Elphie is supposed to seduce him. If he were a humble and decent family man, he would never let her do that, now would he? I don't understand your problem, Fiyero.'

He shook his head, frustrated. 'Not just escapades, Glinda. He…' He swallowed. 'He hurts them,' he said quietly. 'All kinds of stories circulate about him, and I don't know how many of them are true, but… but some of them certainly are. He hurts the women he's with – he rapes them if they don't work with him. Sometimes he even invites his _friends _along… I've seen some of those women, Glinda. We can't let something like that happen to her. Please… you have to break this off.'

Glinda shook her head. 'I can't,' she declared. 'This is an important mission, Fiyero. And frankly,' she added sternly, 'I think you're just making up some story because you don't like seeing Elphie like this,' she nodded towards the green girl, who was allowing the officer to kiss her neck, making a face at Glinda over his head, 'and you're jealous.'

'What?' Fiyero was horrified. 'No! I swear that's not it! Glinda…'

She held up one hand. 'Don't. I'm not stopping it, Fiyero, and neither are you,' she told him.

He grew angry. 'Glinda!'

'Fifi, stop this!' she snapped at him. 'We all know you're a jealous little prick. Get over it. There are things more important than your hurt ego!'

'Like Elphaba's safety and well-being?' he snapped back, and she could see the sincerity in his eyes, confusing her. Was he serious about this? 'Fifi…'

'I don't care what you're saying,' he declared hotly. 'I'm getting her out of here right now.' He turned around… but she was gone, and so was the lieutenant. Neither Glinda nor Fiyero had seen or heard them leave.

Fiyero looked absolutely panic-stricken, and the expression in his eyes convinced Glinda of the fact that he really was serious about this. Suddenly hurried, she grabbed his arm. 'Come on. I know where he lives.'

* * *

Elphaba pretended to be impressed with lieutenant Ross's residence. 'Oh, my,' she said, splaying her fingers against his chest in an exaggerated gesture. 'Do you live here?'

'Whenever I am in the City, I do,' he said, kissing her hand before waggling his eyebrows at her. 'But this is not my only house.'

'Wow,' she purred. 'You must be very rich, then.'

He pulled her closer and kissed her, short and hard. 'I am, baby,' he growled. 'In more than one way.'

She let out a fake girlish giggle. 'Show me,' she whispered seductively, and his grin widened. 'My pleasure.'

He turned to open the door, and Elphaba risked a quick glance at her surroundings. She was in one of the richer parts of the City, but she barely even noticed that; she was looking for Glinda.

She frowned. She didn't see the blonde, but she had to be there, right? Unless Fiyero had been distracting her and she hadn't seen Elphaba leave. The green girl grunted softly. _I'm never going to let Fiyero come on another mission ever again._

She didn't worry too much, however. She knew that Glinda knew Ross's address, so the moment the blonde would notice Elphaba's absence at the bar, she wound drag Fiyero right over here. Glinda was an excellent tracker and an expert when it came to picking locks, so there wasn't really a problem; but still Elphaba promised herself to have a nice long conversation with Fiyero as soon as this was over. Just to teach him a lesson. She appreciated his concern, but the fact that he was actually _interfering _with her missions, now, rubbed her the wrong way.

Ross pulled her inside his home, closing the door behind him and immediately starting to kiss her passionately, groping her everywhere. She made a soft, indignant sound and swatted at him, trying to look playful. 'Not here!' she giggled.

Suddenly, he whirled around and pinned her to the wall with such strength that she was taken aback for a moment. He brought his face close to hers, and she could smell the alcohol on his breath when he whispered harshly, 'Don't you dare protest, you little whore. You're mine for tonight and I plan on using my time effectively.'

Cold chills ran down her spine. He started kissing her again, then grabbed her arm and harshly started dragging her up the stairs with him and into his bedroom. He threw her onto the bed and locked the door behind him, his small, pig-like eyes gleaming. 'Now, where were we?'

Elphaba swallowed. The lieutenant started undoing his pants. 'Well, this is fun,' he grunted, 'but I shouldn't keep you all to myself, should I? That would be selfish of me.' He walked past her and through another door, into the adjacent sitting room. 'Guys?' he called.

A new voice came from the other room. 'That's about time, you moron! Did you bring us something nice to play with?' Another man walked into the room, a third one following him.

'I certainly have,' Ross said smugly. One of the other men whistled. 'Nice one.'

The third one licked his lips, and the lust was audible in his voice when he said, 'Let the fun begin.'

Elphaba's eyes had widened upon seeing the other men and she scrambled backwards onto the bed. She tried to remember a spell – _any _spell – but to her absolute horror, she found that she couldn't. She couldn't remember so much as a single word.

The men advanced on her, eager looks on their face. 'She's pretty enough,' one of them commented and the other one groaned, 'Up for some fun, darling? Don't worry, you're gonna love it – you're being spoiled, you know that? Three of us and only one of you…' He jumped onto the bed with her, grabbing her and pulling her towards him. She struggled, but his grip seemed unbreakable.

'You should know, though,' the man continued casually, holding her down with one hand and using the other to brush some of her hair away from her face, studying her features, 'that we like it rough. I hope you don't mind that.'

'And even if you do,' Ross grunted, struggling with the zipper of his pants, 'we don't care.'

The man on top of her bent down to lick her neck, his one hand moving down to the hem of her top. She struggled again, but he didn't even move; then she spat in his face.

He stopped, glaring down at her menacingly. Then he raised his hand and struck her hard across the face.

'Don't make me mad, darling,' he warned her. Then he started kissing her again, pushing his tongue into her mouth and moving his hand under her shirt.

Elphaba was trying her hardest to get her mind to work properly. In a moment of clarity, she brought her knee up between the man's legs, and at the same moment she bit down hard on his tongue.

He yelped and pulled away, and she used the opportunity to kick him off her with both her feet and scramble off the bed, stumbling into the adjacent sitting room. Panting, she hurriedly looked around, trying to find an exit; but to her horror, there wasn't one. The room was a dead end.

She whirled around to face the door to the bedroom again and gulped. She was trapped.

Ross stormed in through the door, grabbing a fistful of her hair and yanking her head up to look at him, making her cry out in pain. 'You shouldn't have done that, you dirty little slut,' he hissed, pulling out his belt. He threw her down onto the floor and hit her with the belt. She yelped in pain.

'Let's teach you a _real _lesson this time.'

_Okay, Elphaba, think. You've been trained for these situations. Cast a spell._

She couldn't remember a single one of them. Her mind seemed to have gone fuzzy.

_Then use physical force. Do something. Get out of here. Your training, remember your training – when you're stuck in a situation like this one, what are you supposed to do?_

Her breathing was coming fast and ragged now. She didn't remember. She didn't remember anything anymore. She had no idea what to do, her mind had gone blank; the only thing she knew right now was that her instincts were screaming at her to take flight, to get away from these men. That was all that was going through her head: she had to get away from them. About the how, however, she didn't have the faintest clue.

For the first time in her life, something was happening to Elphaba that she had sworn would never, _ever _happen to her.

She was panicking.

* * *

'Here it is!' Glinda looked up at the mansion. She couldn't see any lights on in the house, and no sound disturbed the quiet night; yet she didn't really trust it, either. She knelt down in front of the front door and, after quickly glancing around to see if anyone was there to see them – which wasn't the case – she started picking the lock with her hairpin.

Fiyero waited next to her, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, impatient. 'Do you think they're even here?' he demanded. 'Maybe you're wrong and this isn't where he lives. It doesn't look like anyone is home.' His eyes widened. 'Perhaps he's taken her somewhere else!'

Glinda cursed when her hairpin broke off in the lock and she pulled out a new one. 'Stop this, Fiyero,' she ordered through clenched teeth, continuing to poke the pin around in the lock. 'We'll see, okay? We'll break in and just hope she's here.' She looked up at him. 'Is Ross really as bad as you were saying he was?'

Fiyero nodded unhappily. 'He is. Like I said, I don't know which rumours are true and which aren't, but… well, let's just say I don't want to take any risks.'

Glinda placed her hand on his arm for a moment in a comforting gesture. 'Don't worry, Fiyero,' she said, her cerulean eyes solemn for once. 'If she really is in danger, we'll get her out of there.'

'I know.' He sighed. 'I just hope we're on time.'

'So do I.' There was a clicking sound and Glinda rose to her feet, pushing open the door. 'There. Piece of cake.'

'Upstairs?' Fiyero suggested, and Glinda nodded, already halfway up the stairs. 'Seems the most logical decision.'

* * *

'Stay still!' one of the men yelled at the emerald witch, pushing her down onto the floor. He straddled her, his weight pressing her down, her arms pinned down next to her sides. 'Not so saucy anymore now, are you?'

'Hurry up a little,' Ross commanded him impatiently. 'You're not the only one who wants to have some fun tonight.'

'I know,' his friend said, grinning down at Elphaba. 'But I like to take my time.'

She managed to wiggle one arm free, but it was immediately pinned to the floor again, above her head this time. 'I know of a way to make her look even prettier than she already does.'

His companion laughed. 'Do tell.'

The first man smirked. 'Don't you think she'd look much better with less clothing on?' She started squirming beneath him, but he easily held her down and grabbed her top with one hand, starting to tear it off her body.

The other man was still laughing. 'Well, I must say,' he offered, 'I do like my women in tight pants.'

The first man grumbled. 'Yes, well, I don't, so you're going to have to put them back on her when it's your turn,' he snorted, fiddling with the button of her trousers. Finally, he succeeded in pulling off her top and he shifted a little, allowing lieutenant Ross and the other man to peel the trousers off her legs.

The man on top of her whistled again. 'Nice. You did well, Ross. Here I was thinking you had no taste in women.'

'What did I say about hurrying up?' Ross snapped, and his companion rolled his eyes. 'Like I said, I'm going to take my time.' He eyed Elphaba up and down eagerly. 'Much better,' he declared. 'But still not good enough.' His eyes bored into Elphaba's and he grinned down at her maliciously. 'Here we go, darling. I hope you're not too attached to those undergarments you're wearing.'

Suddenly, he laughed. 'Oh, babe,' he said smugly, reaching for her face and grabbing her chin, making her look at him. 'Look at you. Crying with happiness.' She hadn't even realised there were tears streaming down her face until he made that remark. 'You should be, too,' he told her. 'You're the luckiest girl in all of Oz, to belong to the three of us for an entire night. Believe me, we know what we're doing. By tomorrow morning, you're going to be _begging _us to take you again.' He roughly wiped the tears from her cheeks.

She hated herself for crying, for showing such weakness, but the truth was that she didn't feel like herself at all. She had always been strong – if not physically, then at the very least both mentally and magically, and she had always managed to get herself out of sticky situations. Now, however, there was no magic, there were no spells and there were no thoughts; there was just pure, unadulterated fear coursing through her body.

She wasn't someone who was easily brought down by something. She had defied the _Wizard_, for Oz's sake. She'd crashed against a rock wall, she had been in Southstairs, she had been shot. She had jumped off a high building with the intention of sacrificing her life without so much as blinking an eye. But now, for the first time in her life, she felt weak. Weak and scared and absolutely powerless.

The man roughly pressed his lips to hers as his hand moved down.

Elphaba squeezed her eyes shut and just hoped that it would be over soon.

* * *

There came a thumping sound from upstairs, and Glinda quickened her pace, nearly running. 'I go left, you go right!' she shouted at Fiyero, who nodded quickly, and they split up. Fiyero ran down the right side of the enormous hallway, pushing open doors as he passed them, but they were all dark and empty; there was no sign of life anywhere.

Suddenly, he heard more sounds coming from the other side of the hallway – thumps and something that sounded an awful lot like a cry - and he turned and ran back in the direction Glinda had gone in. 'Glin?' he called anxiously.

The blonde had just halted in front of one of the doors. She tried the doorknob, but it was locked. More sounds came from inside, and Glinda stepped back, raised her high-heeled foot, and kicked in the door with one well-aimed movement. She stormed into the room, and Fiyero sped up to catch up with her.

Just then, however, he heard her gasp, a sound that made the blood run cold in his veins. 'Elphie!'


	22. Chapter 22 I'm A Survivor

**AN: Thanks so much for the reviews :). And sorry, but some of them made me laugh once again (*cough*Happy3611*cough*).**

**BlueD, have fun at Disney! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 22. I'm A Survivor**

Fiyero skidded to a halt right next to Glinda and quickly took in the sight before him. His heart nearly stopped when he saw three men standing over Elphaba; she was lying on the floor, with one of the men on top of her, lust reflected in his eyes and his pants already down. The other two men were grinning and cheering him on, and one of them had a belt in his hand. Elphaba herself had her eyes closed, her face pale, and for a moment Fiyero thought that she was unconscious, but then Glinda roared, 'Hey!' and her eyes snapped open. Her lips formed Glinda's name and relief was clearly visible in her formerly terrified dark brown eyes.

The men turned towards the small blonde. One of them laughed. 'My, my. Did you bring us some friends to play with?' He eyed Glinda up and down in interest.

The blonde, however, was absolutely fuming. 'Let her go!' she snarled, and the man sitting on top of Elphaba let out a snorting laugh. 'I don't think so.'

Glinda muttered a spell under her breath and immediately, the man slumped down, unconscious. Elphaba pushed him off her, gathering pieces of her ripped clothes to try and cover up her body the best she could. The other men looked stunned now.

'Come here, you!' Ross grunted, and he advanced on Glinda with his hands stretched out, ready to close his fingers around her throat. It happened so fast that Glinda didn't have the time to chant another spell, and so instead, in a reflex, she reached for the dagger hidden in her skirt and brought it up. Ross's eyes widened and his mouth formed an 'o'-shape as the blade pierced his stomach.

Glinda pulled back the dagger and the man toppled over, crashing against the wall, his dead eyes staring into the distance.

'You Oz-damned whore!' the third man shouted, picking up the belt and whipping Elphaba with it yet again. 'What have you _done_?!' He stomped over towards her, pulling her up by her hair and shaking her before throwing her into a corner, making her crash against the wall. 'I'm going to kill you!' he yelled, advancing on her again. She made herself as small as possible, cowering, trying to hide away in the corner; but upon seeing and hearing all this, Fiyero had been overcome by a fit of rage. Before the man could even come close to Elphaba, the prince yanked the belt out of his grip and pulled it around the man's neck, strangling him. The man clawed at Fiyero's hands, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets as he tried fruitlessly to break free; but finally, his body went limp and Fiyero let him drop to the ground, panting slightly with the effort.

Glinda, meanwhile, had rushed over to Elphaba, taking off her coat and wrapping it around the cowering green girl before hugging her tightly. 'Oh, Elphie… are you okay?' she asked, her blue eyes sparking with concern. She could feel Elphaba's body shaking, and the dark-haired witch shook her head wordlessly.

Glinda pulled back a little, resting her hands on Elphaba's shoulders and looking into her chocolate eyes. 'Elphie…' she said quietly. 'Did they…'

Elphaba shook her head again, a bit firmer this time. 'No,' she said in a shaky voice. 'You came just in time.'

Glinda hugged her again, muttering, 'Thank Oz', into Elphaba's hair. Her fingers accidentally grazed Elphaba's back and the raven-haired girl hissed in pain for a moment.

'I'm sorry,' Glinda said, immediately pulling away. She looked at her friend. 'May I?' she asked softly, indicating the coat.

Elphaba hesitated, then nodded, and Glinda gingerly removed the coat to examine Elphaba's back, where she had been hit with the belt. 'It needs to be cleaned,' she told her friend reassuringly, 'but you're going to be okay, Elphie. Hey,' she said gently when she noticed the tears in Elphaba's eyes, and the hazy, absent look in them. The young witch raised her gaze to look back at the blonde, and Glinda squeezed her hands. 'Do you hear me, Elphie? You're going to be fine.'

Elphaba took a shaky breath, then nodded, and Glinda hugged her again, wrapping her up in the coat tightly. She helped the green girl over to a chair. 'Stay here, sweetie,' she said in a soothing voice. 'I'm going to get you some water.'

Fiyero had wanted to storm over to Elphaba the moment Glinda stepped away, but something in her demeanour worried him, and so he followed Glinda instead. 'Glin?' he asked quietly. 'How is she?'

Glinda sighed as she filled a glass with water. 'I think she's in shock,' she replied in a low voice. 'She's most definitely not herself right now, but then again… who can blame her?' She bit her lip. 'I'm worried, though. I've never seen her like this.'

'Me, neither,' Fiyero confessed, running his fingers through his hair. 'She's scaring me.'

Glinda looked at him sympathetically. 'She'll be okay, Fiyero,' she said, touching his arm for a moment before moving past him and towards Elphaba. She handed her the glass of water. 'Here you go, sweetie.'

Elphaba's teeth clattered against the glass as she drank some of the water, and Glinda noticed she was still trembling all over. 'Elphie?' she asked gently, but the other girl didn't respond.

Fiyero knelt down next to the chair Elphaba was sitting on. 'Fae?' he tried, and the effect was immediate – she sprang away from him, spilling the water all over the floor, terror in her eyes. 'Don't touch me!'

'Fae-'

'Get away from me!' She hugged herself, flinching away from his touch.

Glinda gingerly put her arm around Elphaba's shoulder. 'Ssh, sweetie, it's okay,' she soothed. 'Here are your trousers, why don't you go and put them on, and the coat as well, okay? And then we get out of here.' She softly pushed Elphaba into the other room so that she could change, but she left the door open.

She turned to face Fiyero, and the look on his face nearly broke her heart. 'Oh, Fiyero…' she said softly, moving over to him and placing a hand on his arm. He sighed miserably and sunk down into a chair. 'I didn't mean to…'

'I know you didn't, Fiyero.'

'But then…' He looked up at her. 'What did I do wrong?' he asked her softly, and she squeezed his shoulder. 'Nothing, Fiyero,' she replied truthfully. 'You didn't do anything wrong… but you're a man.'

He frowned a little, and she knelt down to level with him. 'Fiyero,' she tried to explain. 'Elphie is… she's never had any experience with men. I'm not sure what exactly you and her have done in that area so far, but… but whatever it is, that's as far as she's ever gone with someone. There's never been anyone else before you.'

He shook his head. 'We've never done anything,' he said quietly. 'Just… just kissing. Nothing more.'

'Then you must understand how awful this was for her,' Glinda said, a gentle look in her blue eyes. 'A woman's virginity is very precious, Fiyero, and she came _this _close to losing it tonight. She's in shock, she's not really thinking straight, and my guess is that she's just terrified of every single man out there right now. She'll come around, don't worry.'

He swallowed. 'I… I guess it would be best if you took her back to your home with you, then,' he said quietly, and she squeezed his shoulder again. 'I'm sorry, Fiyero, but… yes, I think so, too. But I'll keep you updated,' she promised, 'and I'll take good care of her, Fiyero. You know that. She's my best friend.'

'I know.' He squeezed her hand. 'Thank you.'

She lowered her eyes. 'I feel like it's my fault,' she confessed in a whisper. 'Perhaps if I had listened to you right away, when you said that Ross was dangerous…'

'Glinda, don't go there,' he warned her. 'It wasn't your fault. Really, it wasn't.'

She heaved a shaky sigh. 'Still, though,' she said, determined. 'I'm going to fix it. Or try my best to, anyway.'

He smiled at her, albeit a bit sadly. 'Good luck,' he said sincerely, and she returned his smile. 'She'll snap out of this, Fiyero,' she said, rising to her feet again to look down at him. She started walking over to the room where Elphaba was. 'I'm sure of that.'

'Um, Glin?' Fiyero called out, and she turned. 'Yeah?'

He indicated the dead bodies and the mess around him. 'What do we do with this?'

Glinda bit her lip. She knelt down next to the man Fiyero had strangled. 'He's dead.' Then she examined Ross. 'He's dead, too.' The other man, however, had just been knocked unconscious by her spell. She squealed softly and Fiyero asked, 'What?'

'He's still unconscious,' she beamed.

The prince frowned. 'So…?'

'I got the spell right this time!' Glinda did a little dance, then shook her head. 'Okay, but we're going to need to murder him, anyway. Leave that to me.' She closed her eyes and started chanting.

For a clock-tick or so, nothing happened, and Glinda opened her eyes, satisfied. 'There. If that went right, he just had a heart attack and-'

She was interrupted by a disgusting sound, something in between a rip and a splash, as the man's body exploded, sending his blood flying everywhere around the room.

Fiyero, who was lucky – he had been at the other side of the room and only had a few drops of blood on his clothes – shuddered. 'Is this what happened last time?'

Glinda bit her lip guiltily. 'Yes. I'm sorry!' she wailed. 'I swear to you, I've been practicing my spells, but I'm just a little not myself right now and-'

'I get it, Glin,' Fiyero said reassuringly. 'You're a bit worried and on edge right now, and so you can't concentrate that well. I don't blame you.'

'But I do,' the blonde muttered, staring up at the now blood-splattered ceiling, then down at her dress. 'Ew.' She grimaced and flapped her arms, as if that would make the blood go away. 'Eeeeeeew.' She took a deep breath. 'Okay. Crisis situation. I can handle the blood.' She closed her eyes for a moment and chanted another spell, making sure to concentrate this time. When she opened her eyes again, she looked at Fiyero. 'That was a spell to make sure that any trace we left has now disappeared. It's a very handy one for when you commit crimes on a daily basis.' She made a face. 'Anyway, the Gale Force won't be able to trace these murders back to us, but still. We should get out of here right now.' She took another breath. 'I take Elphie, you go home and lay low for the next few days. Don't try and visit us, don't go to the Resistance headquarters, just stay at home or have beer with your Gale Force pals or just do your job as Captain of the Guard. Anything that doesn't rise suspicion. Got it?' she asked without so much as pausing after her rant, and when he nodded, she did, too. 'Alright then, let's go.'

* * *

Glinda hurriedly took Elphaba home, using her cloak to hide the bloodstains on her dress – luckily it was night, and there weren't much people at this hour in this part of the City. Once home, the blonde made Elphaba take a bath, then gently took care of the wounds on her skin that were caused by the belt. She put her in a shirt and a pair of pyjama pants, then draped a thick robe around her and softly dried her hair, but even then, Elphaba was still shivering.

'Elphie,' Glinda said softly as she sat behind her friend on the bed, brushing her long, raven hair. 'Talk to me.'

Elphaba hugged herself, staring off into the distance, her eyes still hazy. 'What do you want me to say?' she croaked out.

'What happened?' the blonde asked gently. She received a soft snort in reply. 'Couldn't you tell?'

Well, that at least sounded like Elphaba was getting back to her normal self. 'I'd like to hear it from you.'

The young witch drew her legs up to her chest, hugging them. 'He took me home,' she said quietly. 'And then he suddenly became all… I don't know. Creepy. He dragged me upstairs, locked the door behind him, and invited his friends along.' She tightened her grip on her legs. 'Can we just leave it at that?'

'Of course, Elphie.' Glinda finished brushing the green girl's hair and put down the hairbrush, turning her friend around so that they were both on the bed, facing each other. The blonde crossed her legs and leaned forward, taking Elphaba's hands. 'I'm so sorry about this.'

'It's fine,' Elphaba said quietly. Slowly, she pulled her hands from Glinda's grip and rose to her feet, both arms wrapped around her waist as she moved towards the other bed in the room. 'I'm going to sleep now.'

Glinda thought about protesting, but decided against it. Elphaba probably needed her sleep right now, and they could always talk again in the morning. 'Alright. Goodnight, Elphie.' She turned off the light and quietly moved to the bathroom to get changed herself.

She crawled into bed and lay down on her back, staring at the ceiling for some time. Suddenly, a small voice broke the silence. 'I was so scared, Glin.'

Glinda leaned up and turned on the oil lamp on her nightstand, revealing her friend in the bed next to hers, tears standing in her dark brown eyes.

'I just didn't recognise myself anymore,' Elphaba continued, her voice sounding a bit choked with unshed tears. 'I didn't feel like _me_. I didn't know what to do, I just couldn't think of anything, and… I panicked.'

'It's okay to be scared, Elphie,' Glinda said gently. 'Everyone is scared sometimes.'

Elphaba shook her head. 'Not me,' she declared, and the blonde hid a smile. It was true, after all – she couldn't remember ever seeing Elphaba scared. 'Yes, well, there's a first time for everything.'

Her friend heaved a shaky sigh. 'I just… What if you hadn't shown up, Glin?' she asked quietly. 'What would have happened then?'

Glinda climbed out of her bed and into Elphaba's, hugging her friend. 'Oh, Elphie, don't think of that!'

'But I do!' Elphaba insisted. 'I couldn't do anything, Glin! It was like I was… paralysed, or something!' She hugged her knees to her chest again. 'I always thought that I could take care of myself, that I could keep my head clear in a crisis, but… now I just feel…' She sighed and dropped her head back against the headboard of the bed. 'I don't know. Weak.'

'You're not weak, Elphie.' The blonde girl wrapped her arms around her friend once more, resting her head on Elphaba's shoulder. 'Not at all. You're the strongest person I know! You were just scared, but _everyone _is scared sometimes, Elphaba. Everyone, and that includes you.' She looked up. 'I know it must have been awful,' she said quietly. 'And I'm sorry it happened. But we did come just in time, Fiyero and I, and it's no use dwelling on what could have happened. You're only going to make yourself unhappy doing that.' She squeezed Elphaba's hand. 'Just give it some time, Elphie. You're going to be fine, I promise.'


	23. Chapter 23 Love Over Healing

**AN: Hope you like this chapter. Fiyeraba fluffles.**

**This chapter is for my parents, even though they've never read any of my fanfics and probably never will :P but I still want to dedicate it to them because they had their 25th anniversary yesterday, and I think it's awesome that they've been together for that long. So Mom and Dad, this one's for you ^_^. Let's add 25 more years! :)**

* * *

**Chapter 23. Love Over Healing**

Glinda took care of her friend for the next few days. Elphaba remained unusually quiet, not saying much and often just staring off into the distance, and Glinda was worried about her. The young witch was also in pain – there were marks from the belt on her back, sides, and arms, and there was a big bruise on her cheekbone. One of the belt whips had caused the tender skin that had been covering Elphaba's bullet wound to open up again, and so Glinda had had to deal with even more blood – much to her horror and dismay. Elphaba didn't say a word about it, but Glinda knew she was hurting – she could see her wince slightly every time she made a movement that caused her wounds to sting.

The blonde tried to talk to her as well, to try and get her to open up again. Sometimes Elphaba would remain silent, not opening her mouth until Glinda gave up; at other times, she did talk, and bit by bit, Glinda came to know pretty much everything that had happened that night. She noticed that Elphaba flinched away from her touch now, even if it was for only the briefest moment, and it hurt her to see her best friend like this. She understood; after unwillingly being touched the way Elphaba had been, every single touch must be scary right now, but she tried to touch her friend as often as possible to get her to reacquaint herself with other people touching her in a good way. She took every opportunity to hug her, take her hand, or squeeze her shoulder, and slowly, Elphaba started to relax a little more.

The day after it had happened, Glinda had risked leaving Elphaba alone for a short period of time to venture out into town and buy some supplies. It was then that she had seen the headlines in the papers, all speaking of 'the brutal murder of lieutenant Ross and two as of yet unidentified men'.

The 'unidentified' part had actually made her snigger a little. _It's probably hard to identify someone who is splattered all across the room._

The papers revealed, however, that no connection with the Resistance had been made; Ross and his companions had been hated, or at the very least disliked, by most people who had met them. Everyone knew what they did to women and on top of that, he wasn't really a charming personality, either, and so the papers just speculated on and on about who might have killed them, without really coming to a conclusion in the end. Glinda was glad about that. This mission had gone wrong enough as it was, the last thing they needed was the Gale Force diving on top of the Resistance again because of this.

It wasn't until four or five days after it had happened that Glinda suddenly realised that she had never retrieved the key Corrin had wanted them to get. She and Fiyero had been so caught up in what was happening to Elphaba that they had both entirely forgotten about the mission, and though Glinda still thought that her best friend was _way _more important than any mission could ever be, she still felt guilty. Corrin had needed that key – what if the entire big operation he had planned had now failed because of their mission going wrong?

And so that afternoon, she left Elphaba by herself again and set out for the Resistance headquarters.

When she came upstairs, the guard was blocking her way once more. She'd completely forgotten what the password was – something to do with fish and Morrible and glasses – and so she just looked at the guard and declared, 'I'm a friend of Elphie's.'

The man quirked an eyebrow at her and she clarified meaningfully, 'The green girl. The one with the magical powers?'

Immediately, his eyes widened and he stepped aside without another word. When Glinda entered the room, she was surprised to see Fiyero there as well. 'Hi, Fifi! Hi, Corry,' she added, bouncing over to him and pecking his lips.

He looked pleasantly surprised. 'Hi, dear.'

Fiyero, on the other hand, didn't even bother greeting her. 'How is she?'

'Well, hi, Glinda, how are you today?' the blonde mocked him. 'I'm fine, Fiyero, thank you. Nice of you to at least say _hello_.'

He went a bit red. 'Sorry.'

'That's okay. I understand.' She sighed and looked at him. 'She's… well… holding up,' she replied truthfully. 'She's getting better, but slowly. It's really been a big shock for her.'

Corrin nodded gravely. 'Send her my best wishes. I'm so sorry about what happened, Glin.'

The blonde deflated a little, and she lowered herself into a chair. 'No…' she said quietly. '_I _am sorry. It's my fault it happened.'

Both men stared at her. 'What?'

Glinda sighed and rested her arms on the desk, leaning her chin on top of them. 'I pushed her into this,' she said softly. 'She didn't want to do it, but I _begged _her to. _I _was supposed to distract the guy this time, not her, but she switched for me… and look where it got her.'

'Glinda,' Corrin said gently, reaching over the desk and taking her hand. 'No one would have been better off if it had been you instead of Elphaba. What's happened is something that none of us could change or predict. It was unexpected, and it was horrendible, but it ended well, didn't it? Don't blame yourself, darling. It wasn't your fault.'

Fiyero shook his head. 'It really wasn't,' he agreed, and Glinda looked ready to cry. 'But Elphie…'

'Will get better,' Corrin finished for her. 'She's strong, Glin. She's been through a lot already. She can make it through this.'

Glinda heaved a shaky sigh, then nodded and straightened her back. 'Anyway, I… I actually came here to apologise for something else.'

Now Corrin looked surprised. 'For what?'

She fidgeted with the hem of her dress. 'For screwing up the mission,' she muttered. 'I mean, I don't regret anything I did that night – if I'd done it any differently, who knows how it would have ended, but… but I didn't get the key, and I know that was important for the greater good, and stuff, and I'm really sorry.'

Corrin shook his head, smiling. 'Well, fortunately someone else got me the key.'

Her head snapped up. 'Huh?'

Corrin nodded at Fiyero, who shrugged. 'Yeah. I knew you needed it,' he said. 'Fae told me about it, so I knew how important it was. And after you took her back home that night, I hung around there a bit longer, and then I suddenly remembered the key. I didn't really want to return home when there would be no one there, so I started searching for it, found it, and brought it over to Corrin. At least I got the feeling I helped, even though it was just a little. You know, since there wasn't much I could do for Fae…'

Glinda suddenly hugged him. 'Thank you, Fiyero,' she told him sincerely. 'You're a true Resistance member and an amazing friend _and _boyfriend.' She looked at him. 'Would you like to come home with me?' she offered. 'To see her?'

His eyes lit up. 'Do you think she's up for that?'

Glinda hesitated. 'I'm not sure,' she confessed. 'But we won't know until we try, now will we?' She placed her hand on his arm. 'Just… just try not to feel too hurt if she doesn't let you in,' she added softly. 'She's still very vulnerable right now, and I'm not sure how she will react.'

He nodded. 'I know. I understand. I won't expect anything.'

She smiled at him. 'Good.'

She looked at Corrin. 'Do you need me for anything else?'

He shook his head. 'You two take care of Elphaba now,' he said. 'I have many Resistance members at my disposal – you're my best, Glin, you know that, but you're not irreplaceable.'

She scowled. 'Why don't I like the sound of that?'

He laughed and pulled her closer to kiss her briefly on the lips. 'I meant as a Resistance member. I love you. Now go. Take good care of her.'

'I will,' the blonde promised, and she tugged at Fiyero's sleeve. 'Come on, let's go.'

* * *

'Elphie!' Glinda said in a sing-song voice as she opened the door. 'I'm back, and I brought someone with me!'

She found her friend in the bedroom, curled up on the bed with a book in her lap, but she wasn't reading it, merely staring outside through the window. When she heard the blonde enter, her gaze drifted towards her. 'Oh. Hi, Glin.'

'Elphie,' Glinda said again. 'There's someone here with me. Are you up for it?'

She didn't ask who it was. She was scared and traumatised, yes, but she wasn't stupid. 'I guess.'

Glinda smiled softly at her. 'I'm going to let him in now. If you want him to leave, just tell him, okay? He'll understand.'

Elphaba heaved a shaky sigh. Wasn't that the awful part? That he'd understand? She felt guilty. Everything she did, she did for the Resistance, for the greater good, for a better Oz… but everything _he _did, he did for _her_.

She'd pushed him away, she'd yelled at him, thrown things at his head – both literally and figuratively speaking – and she'd locked off her feelings for him like she was doing now. She never thought about _him_ first – it was always the cause, doing whatever Corrin had told her to do, even if that meant jumping off a building while Fiyero was watching, or nearly getting raped, in the process. She knew he felt awful about those things sometimes, yet she didn't change what she did. Why didn't she? She loved him, so why didn't she consider his feelings before she did those things?

And now here she was, terrified to death of everything that even remotely _resembled _a man… and he understood. Again. She knew he wouldn't blame her if she sent him away, and that only made her feel more awful. He did everything for her, and she felt like she did nothing for him in return.

He appeared in the doorway then, lingering there. She looked up, and she could see his eyes widening slightly when he saw the – now purple – bruise on her cheekbone. He didn't mention it, though. 'Hey.'

She hugged her knees to her chest, eyes never leaving him, ever wary. 'Hey.'

He took a step closer, then hesitated. 'May I…?' He gestured towards the bed, and she nodded, moving over a little. He sat down on it, at a safe distance away from her, but she could feel his eyes on her as he asked quietly, 'How are you?'

'Fine,' she replied automatically, but he raised one eyebrow and she grimaced, then sighed. 'Okay, not fine,' she conceded. 'Just… I don't know. I've been better, I guess.'

He inched a bit closer. He reached for her hand and she bit her lip, but didn't pull away. 'I'm so sorry, Fae,' he said, and she shook her head. 'It's okay. I feel like…' She sighed. 'Like something like this had to happen sometime,' she said quietly. 'We've been doing this for over two years, and somehow, something just had to go wrong.' She sighed again and wrapped her arms around herself. 'I just don't know what to do now,' she confessed in a whisper, and he squeezed her hand comfortingly. 'Don't worry, Fae. Everything will be fine, I promise.'

They lapsed into a comfortable silence for a while. She didn't move closer to him and he didn't want to push her, so he just held her hand, rubbing circles on the back of it with his thumb.

'I'm really glad that they didn't get the chance to go any further than they did,' he said quietly after a while.

She looked up at him. 'Me, too,' she said just as softly. 'You and Glin came just in time.' She shuddered a little at the thought of what could have happened, and Fiyero instinctively moved to wrap his arms around her, but when he saw her tense, he stopped himself. 'Sorry.'

She heaved another sigh. 'No, don't be. It's not you, it's me.' She took a deep breath. '_I _am sorry,' she said. 'About everything.'

'You don't have anything to be sorry for.'

'That's where you're wrong, Fiyero,' she said, her voice barely audible. 'I have so, so much to be sorry for.'

She didn't elaborate, and he didn't ask. This wasn't the time nor the place for this conversation.

Almost subconsciously, his hand moved up to touch the bruise on her cheek. When his fingertips grazed the skin, she flinched, but this time he didn't pull away. Instead, he cupped her face with his hand, turning it a little so that she was forced to look at him. 'Hey,' he said softly. 'I'm not going to hurt you.'

She swallowed. 'I know.'

He pulled his hand back, but much to his surprise, she inched closer to him to lean her head on his shoulder. He turned a little to look at her. 'Fae,' he began worriedly, 'I don't want you to feel obligated to-'

She interrupted him with a snort that somehow reassured him that she was getting back to her old self again. 'Fiyero, when was the last time I did something just because I felt _obligated _to do it?'

He realised she was right. She did things because _she _wanted to do them, but never just to please others. 'I can't really remember.'

'That's because it never happened.' She sighed and pulled away again, rising to her feet and starting to pace the room. She stopped in front of the floor length mirror, hugging herself as she stared at her mirror image for a moment. Even she herself couldn't deny that she looked horrendible. Her hair looked dull, her face pale, and her eyes were haunted. She closed them for a moment and sighed again.

Fiyero gingerly approached her, a worried look in his azure blue eyes. 'Fae? Are you okay?'

Only when she raised her gaze back to her own face in the mirror and noticed the stray tear sliding down her cheek, did she realise that she was crying.

She nodded, then shook her head; and when he reached out to pull her to him, she didn't protest. She allowed him to wrap his arms around her in a hug, her posture tense and rigid at first, but then she slowly relaxed against him. She buried her face in his chest, silent tears leaking from her eyes, soaking his shirt.

When there were no more tears coming, they stayed like that for another long while, just holding each other, before Elphaba pulled away slightly, still sniffling a little. 'Yero, I… there's something else I need to talk to you about.'

He sat them both down on the bed, keeping her close. 'What, Fae?' he asked gently.

She took a deep breath. 'I've had a lot of time to think for these past few days,' she began. 'After what happened, I… I realised that this isn't right. It can't go on like this. Me juggling around with my job, and my relationship with you… It's just not working.'

He had a sinking feeling he knew where this was going, but he didn't say anything yet.

'Every time I'm with you, I can't help but think about my next mission,' she confessed. 'And every time I'm on a mission, I just can't stop thinking about you. It's getting dangerous for everyone involved. Sooner or later, I'm going to make a mistake; and then either Corrin and the Resistance will pay for it, or you. And I just can't let that happen.'

'Fae…'

'Yero, it's too dangerous,' she said softly. 'If anyone finds out that you and me are together – the Wizard, or Morrible, the Gale Force… I don't even want to think about what might happen then. And it would be my fault. I couldn't bear that, Fiyero. We just can't keep up this façade.' She took another deep breath. 'So, I… I guess I'm going to have to stop.'

He looked like she had slapped him. 'Are… Are you breaking up with me?' he choked out, and she stared at him as if he had just told her that he was going to marry Madame Morrible. 'What? No, of course not!'

Suddenly he could breathe again. 'But… then what…'

'I'm going to stop working for the Resistance, Yero,' she elaborated softly. She ran her fingers through her long hair. 'For over two years, I've been trying to do good, to make Oz a better place, but… I'm starting to feel like it's no use, you know? As long as the Wizard and Morrible are still in power…' She shook her head. 'And the Resistance can survive without me. They have before and they will again. I just… I'll be honest with you, I… I'm scared,' she confessed, her voice only barely audible. 'After what happened… I don't know if I can go through something like that again. And… and by doing all those things, putting myself in danger all the time… I know I'm hurting you. And that's the last thing I want to do.'

She looked up at him, her eyes seeming even more huge than usual, though that could be because there were still some tears shimmering in them. 'You told me once that you wanted to leave Oz together,' she said quietly, and he immediately knew what she was proposing.

He lifted her off her feet and spun her around, before leaning down and kissing her softly on the lips. He felt her tense for the briefest moment, but then she relaxed and wrapped her arms around him, pressing her cheek against his chest. 'Is that a yes?'

'Yes,' he whispered into her hair. 'Yes, of course. We'll leave together. We'll go to a place where no one has ever heard of the Wicked Witch of the West, and we're going to build a life together, just you and me. Oz, I love you, Fae. I love you so much.'

'I love you, too,' she whispered back, closing her eyes and clinging to him as if she was never going to let him go again.


	24. Chapter 24 Close To You

**AN: I love writing Fiyeraba fluff. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it, because there's an overdose of it in this chapter :).**

**Thank you all for reviewing, and a special thank you for those who congratulated my parents on their anniversary ^_^. I also loved reading your favourite lines ('Everything he did, he did for her' seemed to be a favourite of yours, and it's one of mine, too; but kudos to Musicgal for mentioning my other favourite line: '...she stared at him as if he had just told her that he was going to marry Madame Morrible.').**

**Kudos also to TheLilyReviwer for adding a Star Wars reference to her review - you may not know it, but I love Star Wars :). Fae Tiggular, are you crazy, I'm not going to sweep up the confetti your exploding will leave! :O I'm a Queen, for Oz's sake - I'll let my servants do it *smirk*. No, seriously though, you're a peach, thanks so much for your review :).**

**And last but not least, Siarenthander, because you're just so incredibly sweet and I had a goofy smile plastered on my face for about four hours after reading your review.**

**Oh, yeah, and a small warning: nothing extreme, but this chapters contains some mention of... um... eating pie :3.**

* * *

**Chapter 24. Close To You**

When Elphaba and Fiyero came into the living room a while later, her arm wrapped around his waist and her head leaning against his arm, Glinda squealed. 'Elphie!' She bounced up and down. 'I _knew _it was a good idea to bring Fiyero with me!' she beamed, and Elphaba chuckled softly. 'It was.'

She let go of Fiyero to hug her friend briefly. 'Thank you, Glin. For everything.'

Glinda pulled away, frowning. 'Why does that sound like you're saying goodbye or something?'

'Because you're overdramatic?' Elphaba tried, but the blonde scowled at her. 'Alright, Elphie, spit it out.'

Elphaba sighed. 'It's not goodbye,' she said quietly. 'Not yet. But…' She took a deep breath. 'After this important… _thing_… Corrin is so worked up about, is over… Fiyero and I are going to leave Oz.'

Glinda gasped. 'What? Why?'

Her friend made a vague gesture. 'Glin, we can't stay here. I can't keep on doing this forever, and though I hate to leave you guys alone to do it, I know the Resistance will manage without me. But the hunts for the Wicked Witches are getting more and more serious, Fiyero is getting himself in more and more danger by secretly hanging out with me… we just can't risk it.' She took a deep breath. 'I hate to do it, Glin, but I have to. I'm sorry.'

Glinda hugged her friend, tears already streaming down her face. 'It's okay, Elphie!' she reassured her friend, sniffling. 'I understand. I don't like it, but I understand…' She pulled away and gave the green girl a quivering smile. 'You deserve some happiness in your life.'

Elphaba hugged her again. 'Thank you, Glinda.'

'When will you be leaving?' the blonde asked softly, and Elphaba shook her head. 'I'm not sure yet,' she admitted. 'I only just told Yero that I did want to leave… and I want to help Corrin finishing his big thing first. He's put so much work into it, and I know he could use me for it. It will be my final mission, though.'

'I'll miss it,' Glinda said in a small voice. 'Having fun with you on missions, sharing a home – even though I was with Corry and you were with Fifi all the time…'

'Cleaning my wounds, washing off my blood…' Elphaba added drily, and Glinda shuddered. 'Please don't bring that up.'

Elphaba laughed. 'I'm going to miss you, too, Glin,' she said. 'A lot. But I'm not gone yet.'

'Good thing you're not.' Glinda hugged both her friends again. 'I'm glad you're feeling better now, Elphie,' she said sincerely. 'Go home with Fiyero, okay? I'll go and stay over at Corrin's, and we'll meet in a week or so to discuss everything that still needs to happen to make this grand mission succeed. Alright?'

The green girl gave her friend another hug. 'I love you, Glin.'

The blonde was sniffling again. 'Love you too, Elphie.' Then she pulled away. 'I'll see you later.'

'You will,' Elphaba promised. Fiyero gave Glinda a sympathetic smile, and then they left the house together, heading for Fiyero's home.

* * *

That night, he walked upstairs with two cups of warm milk with honey. She had admitted to him that she had had trouble sleeping since it had happened, and he figured that some milk and honey wouldn't hurt – it's what his own mother had always brought him whenever he found himself unable to sleep.

He paused in the doorway of his bedroom, admiring her for a moment, a soft smile playing around his lips. She was dressed in one of his shirts again, standing outside on the balcony, leaning on the balustrade; a soft breeze lifted strands of her ebony hair, making them swirl around her head as she stared out across the City.

He approached her, and when she heard him, she jumped. He felt a pang at that, realising that even though she was trying her hardest to trust him, she couldn't help but be on edge all the time. What had happened had still had a huge impact on her, no matter how hard she tried to hide it.

When she saw it was him, she relaxed visibly, giving him an apologetic smile. 'Sorry.'

He shook his head. 'Don't be.' He handed her one of the mugs and stood next to her, following her gaze. 'It's beautiful, isn't it?'

She sighed, then nodded, taking a sip of her milk. 'It is.'

They watched quietly for a while. She leaned against him, and he wrapped his arms around her small frame from behind and kissed her temple. 'How are you doing? Honestly?'

She sighed again, turning in his arms to look at him. 'Honestly? I'm not sure,' she confessed. 'I feel… weird. Still not like myself. I can't really believe that something like that happened to me, and I would never have imagined that I would react to it the way I did, and… it still scares me.' She shook her head. 'But I don't want to dwell on it,' she said softly. 'You and Glin came just in time, and that's the end of it. I don't want to talk about it. I don't even want to _think _about it.'

'Fae,' he said, gently but serious. 'It's not nothing, what happened to you. You have to try and process it. Don't push it away – it will come back, only worse, if you do.'

She shook her head stubbornly, moving away from him. 'Stop it,' she hissed. 'You have no idea what you're talking about. You don't know what it was like, Fiyero!'

'You're right,' he acknowledged immediately. 'I don't. But this is something that applies not just for this, Fae, but for every bad thing that ever happens. You shouldn't suppress it. It's not healthy and it will break you down sooner or later.'

She turned away from him, fixing her gaze on the towers of the Emerald Palace in the distance as she downed some more milk. Strangely enough, the stuff did help calm her down a little.

Fiyero walked back inside the room, putting the cup on his desk for a moment so that he could get changed. Knowing Elphaba, she would need a minute or so to think about his words, and he would give her that. He was starting to get to know her better and better, which made it easier for him to decide when he should approach her and when he should leave her alone whenever she was upset.

He changed into his pyjama pants and was just hanging his clothes back in his closet when he felt two arms sliding around his waist from behind. 'I'm sorry,' she murmured.

He placed one hand over hers, lacing their fingers together and bringing their joined hands up to kiss her fingers. 'It's okay, Fae. I understand.'

She pressed her cheek against his bare chest, and he suppressed a shiver. 'I love you,' he breathed.

She sighed softly. 'I love you, too.' She started trailing one finger down his spine, giving him gooseflesh all over. She smiled when she saw it and kissed his back. 'I know I don't always act like it,' she continued softly, leaning against him again and closing her eyes, 'but I really do love you.'

'I know you do, Fae.' He turned around now to look at her, and she looked back up at him with huge, doe-like eyes – for a moment, she looked like a young girl instead of like the powerful witch she was. He could see a sparkle of fear in those chocolate brown depths, and his heart ached for her. It must have been awful, what she had been through.

He drew her into his arms, kissing the top of her head, and she burrowed into his chest. He felt the tension leaving her body as she melted into his embrace, sighing happily at the feel of his arms around her. No matter what happened, no matter how bad things got, she knew that there would always be one place in the world where she would feel completely safe – right here in his arms.

'I'm tired,' she whispered. 'Let's go to bed.'

He ran his fingers through her long, silky hair, then gently guided her back towards the bed. He got up to close the balcony door before climbing into the bed with her, a warm feeling spreading through him as she immediately cuddled closer to him, trusting him blindly despite everything. His arms went around her and she looked at him, seeming uncertain for a moment.

'What's wrong?' he asked her gently. She replied by wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. He was happy to comply and she deepened the kiss, pulling herself flush against him as he tangled his fingers in her hair again. 'I love you,' she murmured, and he kissed her softly again. 'I love you, too, my Fae.'

She pressed her lips to his again, fervent, eager, and he pressed her closer. He moaned softly when her lips travelled down to his neck, kissing his collarbone, and shivers ran down his spine the way they always did when she was this close to him. He loved her so much, and he wished that he could stay here with her, like this, forever.

She kissed his lips again, one hand lying flat against his chest, the other in his neck to pull him even closer. He almost lost himself in the moment, but then he opened his eyes, looking right into hers, and he pulled away. 'Fae?'

She let go of him reluctantly. 'What?' she asked, looking at him innocently, clutching the blanket against her chest. He eyed her up and down, not trusting this. 'What is this about?'

She frowned. 'This is about me loving you and wanting to kiss you. What's so weird about that?' she said, trying to be casual about it, but he saw in her eyes that there was more to it than just that. 'Fae…'

'Yero,' she said with a sigh, inching closer to him again, the tips of her long hair brushing his chest, forcing him to suppress another shiver. 'Nothing is wrong. Just shut up and kiss me already.'

He was about to protest, but then her lips crashed against his again and his eyes closed on their own accord. How could he ever refuse her?

When he felt her hand travelling down his stomach, however, he stopped her again. 'Alright, that's it,' he declared. 'What are you doing?'

She looked faintly annoyed. 'Yero, I just want…' A blush crept up her cheeks. 'You know.'

He was stunned. 'You want to…? After what happened?' he asked incredulously, and she bit her lip, then threw it out. 'Fiyero, when I was in that room…' She swallowed. 'I thought that they were going to do it,' she said softly. 'I've never done anything like that with anyone in my life before, Yero, but… but I've always wished… and later on, when we got together, always _wanted_… that you would be my first. And… that almost didn't happen.' She pulled up her legs, hugging them to her chest, making her look even more vulnerable than she already did in the scarce light. 'There's only one first time, Yero, and I want that to be with you. I've never given it much thought – I always thought we had all the time in the world, but now I realised that… that anything could happen. I feel like I'm running out of time.'

He jumped to his feet, starting to pace up and down the room. 'No,' he declared. He turned around to face her. 'Elphaba, I'm not going to do this.'

She looked crestfallen. 'But… but why-'

'Fae.' He knelt down in front of the bed, looking into her eyes. 'I love you,' he said. 'And I want to do this with you, I really do. But I want to do it because _you _want to do it. Because you're ready for it. Not because you feel like you're running out of time. Don't be scared,' he said gently, placing his fingers under her chin to make her look up at him. 'Nothing like that will happen again, Fae. I promise. Please don't worry about that. I _will _be your first… just not today.'

Now her lower lip was trembling, and he crawled onto the bed with her again, gathering her in his arms. She looked up at him. 'But… but you really _do _want to, don't you?' she asked him worriedly. 'I mean…'

He leaned down and kissed her softly. 'Of course I do,' he said softly. 'I love you.'

'Even though I'm-'

'You're beautiful, Fae.' He nuzzled her cheek. 'Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise.'

He felt her relax against him, and he planted a soft kiss to her temple before gently lying her down, pulling the blankets over the both of them before pulling her into his arms again. 'Go to sleep now, Fae,' he whispered lovingly, caressing her cheek with his fingers. 'I'm right here, I promise. No one is going to hurt you.'

And that night, for the first time since it happened, she didn't have a single nightmare.

* * *

'Our final mission is _what_?!'

Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero all stared at Corrin in disbelief. He calmly folded his hands, placing them on the desk. 'Killing Madame Morrible and imprisoning the Wizard.'

They kept on staring.

'Is this your revenge?' Elphaba demanded in a high voice. 'Because I just told you I'm leaving, now you're telling me that I can't because I have to help you murder the leaders of Oz?'

He shook his head with a small smile. 'No, Elphaba. You know me better than that.' He sighed. 'I've been planning this for a long time,' he said quietly. 'Very few people knew about it, but everything you've done in the past weeks or so was leading up to it. You taking the map from Fiyero. The seal ring from the Wizard's councillor. The key you had to steal the other day… everything.' He locked eyes with Elphaba. 'Everything is set in motion,' he said. 'The Palace is invaded by Resistance members – they're hiding in plain sight, posing as maids, servants, and soldiers. We have another troop ready to get in from the outside. But before we can invade the Palace, we have to take out Morrible or she won't hesitate to use her magic powers against us.'

Elphaba exhaled slowly. She felt Fiyero tightening his grip on her hand.

'You don't have to go on,' Corrin said gravely. He looked at her. 'I could use you, I won't deny that. You could be very valuable if you work with me here. To be perfectly honest, I'd go so far as to say that you're the best shot we got at killing Morrible.' He shook his head. 'But I'm not going to force you into it. If you want to go, then go. You've done so much for us already, and I'm proud to have had you fighting with us. You deserve some peace and quiet.'

'But Elphie…' Glinda whispered, looking at her best friend pleadingly. 'If we do this, if you help us doing this… you and Fiyero can stay! You won't have to leave Oz, the two of you could just stay here and stay safe and stay close to Corrin and me and we could all just continue to be friends…'

The raven-haired witch looked to her right, where Fiyero was sitting. He kept unusually quiet and his face was unreadable, but she knew that he didn't want her to do it. Killing Morrible would be incredibly dangerous and they both knew it; yet he didn't say anything.

'Yero?' she asked softly, and he shook his head. 'This is your choice, Fae,' he said quietly. 'You should decide for yourself.'

She looked at him. He was very careful to keep his face neutral and her heart broke. How could she possibly do this? She knew very well that he didn't want her to do it, yet he left it up to her. Because he loved her.

But she couldn't do it. She couldn't do this to him.

'I'm sorry,' she said, her voice only barely audible. 'I can't.'

Glinda looked shocked and Corrin nodded, obviously a bit crestfallen, but he smiled at her sympathetically. 'I understand.'

Fiyero, however, was shaking his head frantically, and suddenly rose to his feet. 'No,' he declared.

Elphaba blinked in surprise. 'What?'

He looked down at her. 'I know why you're doing this, Fae. And though I love you for it, I won't let you.' He sat back down and took both of her hands in his. 'I know how much this means to you,' he said solemnly. 'And I know you're just saying no because you know that I don't like it when you put yourself in danger.'

She opened her mouth to say something, but he shook his head. 'Fae… Standing between you and your cause is the last thing I want to do,' he said. 'And I won't. Do it. Help them. There will be more than enough time for us to be together afterwards.'

'Unless something goes wrong,' she countered, but he just shook his head again. 'Nothing will go wrong, Fae,' he assured her, trying to sound confident. 'You're a powerful sorceress. You're amazing. You can take her.'

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, at which Glinda let out a soft 'aww'. Corrin looked from Elphaba to Fiyero and back again. 'So you're in?' he asked, just to be sure, and Elphaba hesitated for another brief moment before nodding. 'I'm in.'

Fiyero squeezed her hand. 'Me, too, if you can use me,' he offered, and Corrin smiled at him. 'We could use all the help we can get, Fiyero, thank you. I'll find you something to do.'

Glinda threw her clenched fist up into the air. 'Let's do this!'


	25. Chapter 25 Something Fishy

**AN: Yup. I wouldn't be the Evil Queen of Cliffies if I didn't make Elphie and Yero suffer some more... and end this chapter with a cliffy (no, artsoccer, I'm not slipping - I just find it mean to leave you guys with a cliffy after _every _chapter O:) ).**

**EmeraldReine: Thank you so much! :) You're so sweet!**

**Fae Tiggular: I'll update Ocean's Daughter asap ;).**

**Siarenthander, I'm going to mention you in my AN again, because your review made me laugh so hard :).**

**Musicgal: Congratulations. You're figuring out the ways of my mind. ^_^ (And yes, I love Fiyero, too.)**

* * *

**Chapter 25. Something Fishy**

Corrin explained the plan to them slowly and carefully, including as many details as possible.

The basic idea was that Elphaba and Glinda had to sneak into the Throne Room of the Emerald Palace, where the Wizard and Morrible would be. Glinda would show herself to them, thus distracting them; Elphaba would stay hidden in the shadows and would then kill Morrible – she would attempt to do that using a gun first, but would use magic if necessary. When the old hag was dead, the two girls would take down the Wizard together – capture him, preferably, but they were allowed to eliminate him if he resisted too much. After that, the Resistance members that had invaded the Palace would come into play, taking over everything.

'And after that?' asked Glinda. 'What are we going to tell the people? And if Morrible will be dead and the Wizard locked up, who is going to rule Oz?'

Corrin looked at Elphaba, whose eyes immediately widened. She held up both hands, as if that would ward off his next words. 'Oh, no,' she said firmly. 'No way. I'm not going to rule Oz. I can't and I won't.'

Corrin chuckled softly. 'I didn't think you'd want that.' Then he looked at Glinda, who gave him that same shocked look. 'Me?' she squeaked.

He nodded. 'And me.'

Glinda looked ready to faint. 'Queen Glinda and King Corrin,' she said breathlessly, heaving a happy sigh, and the others laughed.

'I think that would be a wise choice, Corrin,' said Elphaba with a warm smile at both her friends. 'You've proven in your years as Leader of the Resistance that you're trustworthy, and a born leader; and I think Glinda would add just the right amount of innocence and bounciness to your ruling,' she added with a chuckle.

Glinda stuck out her tongue.

'So when is this all going to happen?' asked Fiyero. 'And where do I fit into it?'

Corrin looked at him. 'You work from the inside,' he said simply. 'You're the Captain of the Guard. You've got a lot of influence. When the Resistance takes over the Palace, convince your men to cross to our side.' He cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. 'I think we'll be able to carry out this plan in about a week,' he said finally. 'I'll let you know the exact day and time.'

* * *

It was the next day, when Fiyero was doing his job at the Emerald Palace – basically, his 'job' consisted of sending his soldiers out into all of Oz to look for the Wicked Witches, while he knew said Witches were safely _inside _the City walls - that a sentry came up to him, clearing his throat awkwardly. 'Captain Tiggular?'

Fiyero turned around to face the sentry. 'Yes?'

The sentry saluted. 'His Ozness is requesting your presence in the Throne Room, sir.'

Fiyero nodded. 'Thank you.'

The sentry left and Fiyero made his way over to the Throne Room, wondering what the Wizard wanted from him. He probably wanted to send the Prince onto another assignment. That wasn't uncommon; the Wizard usually gave Fiyero his assignments himself, and they could be about anything. Most likely the Resistance or the Witches of the West and North, but they could also be about the situation in Munchkinland, where things had gone slightly crazy after Nessarose's kidnapping; or about the Animals.

Fiyero knocked on the door, then entered and bowed before the giant mechanical head. 'Your Ozness.'

'Captain Tiggular!' the mechanical head boomed. 'Are you ready to receive your next assignment?'

Fiyero saluted. 'Yes, sir.'

'I need you to go to Munchkinland!' the head told him. 'Go to the Governor's mansion and the specifics of your assignment will be conveyed to you there. This is a mission of the utmost importance and therefore you are not allowed to speak about it with anyone, and you have to go alone. Is that understood?'

He saluted again. 'Understood, sir.'

'You will leave in the morning!' the head said, green eyes glowing. 'Thank you, Captain. You are dismissed.'

Fiyero bowed again, then left.

* * *

'Munchkinland?' Elphaba stared at Corrin. 'Why? What is this about?'

He sighed and folded his hands together. 'I have heard strange rumours coming from there,' he said quietly. 'Things to do with your sister coming back.'

Elphaba furrowed her brow. 'Nessa is back in Munchkinland?' she asked, confused. 'But… how? Fiyero said…'

'He may have been lying,' Corrin said gravely. 'We're still not entirely sure if we can trust him, Elphaba.'

'I am sure,' she said immediately, and he gave her a weary smile. 'I know you are. And perhaps he was telling the truth.' He removed his reading glasses and rubbed his nose, sighing. 'What did he say happened to her again?'

Elphaba tilted her head a little to the side, thinking. 'He said he'd taken her to a family in the Vinkus, where she could lay low,' she said. Corrin nodded. 'Perhaps that was true. Perhaps she just managed to escape somehow, or someone helped her out of there… or perhaps she's still there and the rumours I heard are exactly that – rumours.' He looked at her. 'But still… I don't trust it,' he said. 'And since you're her sister, I'd like you to go and check it out.'

She nodded. 'Of course. I'll leave in the morning.'

'Oh, and Elphaba?' he called after her as she reached the door. She turned around. 'Yes?'

He looked at her solemnly. 'Be careful.'

She flashed him a grin, then nodded and left the room.

* * *

She had already told Fiyero that she wouldn't be staying over at his home for the next two or three nights, because Glinda had started whining that they never spent any 'girl time' together anymore; and so she didn't see the need to tell him about her mission – it would only worry him. If everything went well – or even relatively well – she would be back in the City within two days, three at most.

For Fiyero, this was convenient as well, since he had his own mission to attend to in the morning. He, too, decided not to tell her, because she would only be worried – especially since it was a _secret _mission.

Early in the morning, before the sun was even up, he set out on his horse towards Munchkinland. He rode on through the day and the following night, and part of the next day, before he finally reached the Governor's mansion.

He dismounted and handed his horse to one of the servants before slowly walking up the steps towards the front door. It was slightly ajar, and he frowned, bringing his hand to the doorknob, but hesitating. What if it was a trap? He didn't trust one bit of this – a secret mission, and now here he was… but who was waiting for him inside?

Suddenly, he wished he had told Elphaba where he was going.

'Captain Tiggular.'

He turned around. Morrible was standing in front of the house, looking up at him, a smug expression on her face. 'You're here. Good.'

He felt relieved. The Wizard often sent Morrible out to help keep the Ozians under control; her presence here meant that this probably really was a mission, and not a trap. She nodded at him. 'I'm glad you could make it on such short notice.'

He descended the steps, never taking his eyes off her. That her being here made sense, didn't mean he trusted her. 'His Ozness wanted me to execute a special mission here.'

She nodded. 'That's why I'm here.' She gestured for him to follow her.

As they walked, she started explaining to him why he was here.

'As you know, the Governess has gone missing some time ago,' she said. 'Her disappearance has sent all of Munchkinland into a frenzy. There's been riots, civilians have been trying to break into the mansion to steal the Thropp's possessions; and some of them even tried to take power themselves.'

She turned around. 'That's why we decided our best shot would be to find Miss Nessarose and bring her back as Governess, since she always knew how to keep her people under control.'

Fiyero frowned. 'What?'

'We have been spending the past few weeks tracking her down,' the woman said. She pursed her lips, making her look even more like a fish than she already did, and Fiyero had to stifle his laughter.

She looked at him and he quickly straightened out his face. 'We found her in the Vinkus. She said she had been kidnapped from her home and dumped with a few farmers in the Vinkus; she tried to run away, only she couldn't find her way back home – not so strange, given the fact that she's in a chair.' Morrible shook her head and made a clacking noise with her tongue. 'Anyway, that's when we found her.'

Fiyero tried to wrap his mind around what Morrible was telling him. 'You found Nessarose Thropp?' His heart was pounding in his chest now. Did they know who had kidnapped her? And more importantly… did they know _why_?

Morrible nodded. 'We found her and brought her back here.' She tilted her head a little to the side, boring her eyes into the prince's. 'We figured she might be able to help us, Captain.'

He swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling dry. 'Help us with what, Madame?' he asked as calmly as possible.

Morrible's eyes narrowed and her gaze seemed to be burning, as if she was looking straight through him – literally. 'Help us capture her sister, of course,' she said, as if that much should be evident. 'The Wicked Witch of the West.'

She licked her lips, her eyes filled with unholy glee. She was up to something, and Fiyero feared that he already knew what. 'Unless…'

When she didn't continue, he mustered all his courage and asked, sounding much braver than he felt, 'Unless what, Madame?'

'Unless you've already captured her, of course.'

He blinked at her. 'What?'

She cackled. 'Oh, you haven't captured _all _of her, have you?' the woman purred, clearly enjoying this, seeing him squirming under her penetrating gaze. Her eyes pierced his again. 'Just her heart.'

He swallowed again, trying his hardest to keep his composure as his heart hammered in his chest. 'I don't know what you're talking about,' he declared.

Her gaze intensified. He looked back steadily, knowing that he couldn't cave now. If he did, she would know that he was lying, and all would be lost.

But her eyes seemed to be burning, and when she narrowed them, he lowered his gaze.

He averted his eyes for only a clock-tick, but it was enough; a smirk lit up Morrible's face. 'Well, Captain,' she said smugly. 'We shall see soon enough whether you are telling the truth or not.'

He gulped. He did _not _like the sound of that.

* * *

When Elphaba arrived at the Governor's mansion and sneaked in through the kitchen window, she heard footsteps hurrying in her direction. Before she could move, Boq stormed in. He looked frantic upon seeing her.

'What are you doing here?' he hissed. 'Elphaba, get out of here or she'll capture you again!'

Elphaba's breath caught in her throat. 'Is it true, then?' she whispered harshly. 'Is Nessa back?'

He nodded. 'Morrible found her and brought her back here,' he explained in a low voice. 'To keep the Munchkins under control. Everything went crazy the moment Nessa disappeared, and Morrible wanted to fix that… but Elphie, Nessa still wants to take her revenge on you. I think she's up to something.' She noticed him slipping up and calling her 'Elphie', like he had when they were still friends, but she didn't call him on it.

'Please,' he whispered. 'Just go, before it's too late.'

She shook her head. 'I'm on a mission, Boq,' she said quietly. 'I can't just up and leave. I have to figure out what's going on first.'

He crossed the room and grasped her shoulders, and she was surprised at the strength of the small Munchkin. 'Elphaba,' he said urgently. 'Get out, before it's too late.'

'It _is _too late,' a new voice said behind him. He whirled around, revealing Nessa sitting in her chair, smirking when she saw her sister. 'Well, well, well. If it isn't our dear Fabala.' Her eyes bored into her sister's. 'Clearly getting you arrested didn't keep you from continuing to disgrace us all.'

Elphaba snorted. 'Oh, please. When was the last time you could stop me from doing _anything_?'

'I used to be able to,' said Nessa. 'With nothing more than a pout and a 'please'.'

'That was _before _you changed into a cold-hearted witch.'

'You can hardly blame me for that.' Nessa slowly wheeled herself towards Elphaba, her eyes never leaving the green witch's. 'You disgraced us. You crippled me. You murdered our parents. I hate you!'

'I didn't do any of those things, Nessa,' Elphaba said softly. 'I used to believe they were my fault, but I know now that they aren't. Mother dying and you being born the way you are was the milkflowers' fault, not mine. And I did not disgrace you. I stood up for what I believe in. I don't know why father died, but it wasn't because of me, Nessa. You can keep telling yourself that it was, but it wasn't.'

Suddenly, Nessarose slammed her hand down on the arm of her wheelchair. 'Yes, it was!' she screeched. 'It's all your fault! Everything that ever went wrong in my life is _your _fault! I wish you were never born! I wish you were _dead_!'

She panted slightly after her tirade, her face red with rage. Boq had recoiled against the counter, looking terrified, and Elphaba just looked at her sister. She wasn't even angry with Nessa. Just sad. She had hoped that her little sister was still somewhere in there, but knew now that that wasn't the case; Nessa had changed, she had become cold and bitter, and there was nothing Elphaba could do about that.

'But we shall see who has the last laugh,' the younger girl continued, now in an ominously low voice. She smiled maliciously at Elphaba. 'This time, there will be no escape for you.'

Suddenly, more footsteps were heard in the hallway, and Boq's eyes grew wide. 'Elphaba, run!' he shouted, and the young witch spun around, jumping onto her broom and launching herself towards the open window. She was too late, however; she felt bony fingers closing around her ankles and she was yanked back into the kitchen. A spell was chanted and she was trapped inside a cocoon of magic.

'What do we have here?' Morrible purred, eyeing her prey in interest. 'Our darling Miss Elphaba. Oh, how I have longed to capture you.'

Elphaba's eyes narrowed. 'You.'

'Of course, me.' Morrible smiled at Nessa, who returned the smile. 'Your little sister was so kind as to try and lure you here. We were the ones tipping your Resistance leader off about Nessa's return to Munchkinland – subtly, of course. We knew he would send _you_ here… just like he did last time.' She pursed her lips and shook her head. 'You all still believe that you can bring the old Nessarose back, don't you?' she asked mockingly. 'How adorable. How naïve.' She looked down at Elphaba again. 'Wake up, dearie. Your sister is on _my _side now.'

Elphaba struggled against her magical prison, but to no avail. Morrible just laughed hollowly. 'Oh, don't worry, dearie,' she smirked. 'You'll get out soon enough. We're just going to have to wait for your prince.'

She tilted her head a little to the side. 'The Wizard gave him an assignment in Munchkinland,' she said, her eyes gleaming. 'Little does he know that this assignment will be a test of his loyalty to us.'

'What… what do you mean?' choked out Elphaba, and Morrible grinned down at her. 'I mean, dearie, that he's on his way here right now,' she hissed. 'He's going to be a bit slower than you were, because horses don't travel as fast as brooms… but once he gets here, I'm going to give him his assignment.' She closed her eyes for a moment, clearly enjoying this. 'He is going to kill the Wicked Witch of the West,' she said, giving Elphaba a sickeningly sweet smile. 'Or he will be labelled a traitor and die.'


	26. Chapter 26 Wicked Way

**AN: This chappy is for Elphaba'sGirl, because she's amazing and because I think it's awesome that I literally managed to take her breath away ^_^; and for EmeraldReine. Because the way you were both freaking out was just fabulous.**

**Of course you all knew something bad was going to happen... and it's not over yet *smirk*. **

**I'm sorry, by the way, for the lack of updates on Ocean's Daughter - I just got really caught up in this one and I don't have so much spare time as to finish chapters for both stories, but I promise you I'm working on it and it will appear soon.**

**And last but not least: personally, I really like the ending of this chapter. You'll see why. I think you'll like it, too (no, it's not an evil cliffy) :).**

* * *

**C****hapter 26. Wicked Way**

'Madame?' Fiyero asked carefully as he followed her into the forest across from Colwen Grounds. 'Where are we going?'

Her smirk hadn't disappeared. 'You'll see.'

'I don't understand what this is about.'

Suddenly, she stopped, turning around to look at him. 'Captain Tiggular,' she said, her malicious grin faded now. 'I'm only going to ask you this question once.'

He swallowed.

'Have you or have you not seen the Wicked Witch of the West?'

'Of course I've seen her,' he said with a small, nervous laugh. 'Nearly every soldier has seen her at some point-'

'You know very well that that's not what I meant.' Her eyes bore into his again. 'You see, I have reason to believe that you, my dear prince, have been… inviting her inside your home.'

He didn't say anything. He knew that if he opened his mouth now, his voice would sound squeaky and scared, and that would give him away immediately.

'Wondering how I know that?' She cackled. 'Oh, Captain. I have eyes and ears everywhere.' Her gaze was penetrating. '_I know everything_.'

'It's not true,' he said.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. 'No?' She moved a bit closer to him. 'She hasn't been with you?' she asked, her voice hissing and snakelike. 'You are not acquainted with her in any way?'

He shook his head. 'No.'

She looked at him in interest for a while, before that smirk made its way onto her face again. 'Alright then.'

They reached a clearing and she gestured for him to go first. When he stepped into the clearing, his breath hitched in his throat and it was as if his heart stopped beating for a moment.

There, held down by two Gale Force soldiers, tied and gagged, was Elphaba.

Morrible brought her face closer to Fiyero's, her hot, stinky breath wafting across his skin as she whispered into his ear, 'Prove it.'

He whirled around. 'What?'

Morrible was practically glowing – this was what she had planned so carefully, what she had waited such a long time for, and she was going to enjoy every moment of it. 'You said that you two are not acquainted?' she reminded him. 'Prove it.' She took his gun from where it was strapped to his back and handed it over to him. Then she nodded towards Elphaba. 'Kill her.'

His eyes widened. 'What?'

'You heard me.' She cocked her head. 'Kill the Wicked Witch of the West. Do your job as the Captain of the Guard and eliminate the threat this woman poses to all of Oz.'

He froze. He could hear his own blood rushing through his veins, pounding in his ears, as one thought kept on going through his head. _This can't be happening._

Morrible smiled sweetly, then walked over to Elphaba, removing the gag from her mouth. 'What about you, dearie?' she asked. 'Do _you _have anything to say?'

She shook her head stubbornly. 'No,' she declared. 'I don't know him. Not outside his function.'

Morrible narrowed her eyes at the green girl. 'Oh, really?' She started circling her, like a predator circling its prey. 'So… he means nothing to you?'

Elphaba shook her head again. 'No.'

'You're not…' Morrible moved closer to the green girl. 'In _love _with him, or something?'

The raven-haired witch closed her eyes for a moment, fighting to keep her face and voice neutral. 'No.'

'I see.' Morrible straightened and moved over to where Fiyero was standing. 'That goes for you, too, I assume?'

He caught Elphaba's gaze. He knew she wanted him to play along, so he nodded. 'Yes, that goes for me, too,' he said as firmly as possible.

Morrible moved closer to him, pulling the gun out of his hands. 'So in that case,' she said casually, 'if she really means nothing to you… why can't you kill her?'

'I just think imprisonment will be a sufficient punishment for her crimes,' he said.

'I see.' Morrible tapped the gun against the floor, then started walking towards the emerald witch. 'But if what you're saying is true…' she continued. 'That would mean it wouldn't bother you too much if _I _do what you can't do, would it? You wouldn't really care if _I_…' She went to stand behind Elphaba again and pointed the gun at the green girl's head. 'Kill her?' she finished casually.

Fiyero's eyes widened. Elphaba kept quiet, not showing any emotion.

'I'm going to pull my trigger in three seconds,' Morrible continued, cocking the gun. 'You can stop me, dearie,' she said to Elphaba. 'Just admit to me that you and princey here have been… _involved_… and you can save your own life. One.'

Fiyero locked eyes with Elphaba. She was sitting on her knees, bolt upright, her back straight, defiance shimmering in her eyes; and somehow, he _knew _that she wasn't going to say anything. She would rather die than betray him and they both knew it.

'Two…'

He tried to convey his message to her with his eyes, pleading for her to say something. He knew she understood him, yet she didn't pull a muscle.

Morrible's eyes narrowed as she pressed her finger firmer against the trigger. 'Thr-'

'No!' Fiyero shouted, leaping forward and pushing the gun aside. The gunshot echoed through the forest as Fiyero toppled to the floor, immediately scrambling up again to shield Elphaba's body with his. She made a soft, sad noise in her throat. 'Fiyero…'

Morrible threw her head back and cackled. 'That's what I thought. Seize him!' she yelled, and more Gale Force soldiers came streaming in from the forest surrounding them, forcing Fiyero down onto his knees and tying his arms behind his back.

'My dear men,' the old hag said, looking incredibly smug. 'Our Captain of the Guard is a traitor! He has been _involved _with the Wicked Witch of the West! He is on her side now, and we all know what that means, don't we?' She looked around, and the soldiers saluted. 'We have to kill him, Madame.'

Morrible grinned at the soldier that had responded, sliding her pointy nails across his face for a moment before tapping his nose. 'Exactly,' she whispered.

Elphaba started chanting under her breath, but Morrible immediately whirled around. Her fist connected with the green girl's cheekbone – the one that still hadn't completely healed from where lieutenant Ross and the other men had punched her – with a hard, whipping sound. Elphaba fell to the floor and Fiyero started struggling blindly against the Gale Force soldiers that were holding him down, trying desperately to get to her; but to no avail, of course.

Morrible pinned the green girl down onto her stomach, one foot firmly planted on Elphaba's back. 'I don't think so, dearie.'

Elphaba raised her head, struggling to meet Fiyero's gaze. He could see the panic in her eyes. She closed them for a moment and he saw her lips move as she started to chant again, her voice barely audible; but again, Morrible noticed. She leaned down and grabbed a fistful of the green girl's hair, yanking her to her feet and shaking her. 'You'd better listen to me, dearie,' the older woman hissed, drops of saliva flying off her lips. 'Because otherwise it's going to end very badly for you and your dear princey here!'

Elphaba snorted, acting tough. 'What do you mean, 'otherwise'? As if it's not going to end badly for us no matter what we do,' she challenged her former Headmistress.

Morrible threw her head back and cackled. 'True,' she hissed, then threw Elphaba back to the floor again. The girl was immediately seized by two Gale Force soldiers, and Morrible slowly made her way over to Fiyero, eyes gleaming maliciously.

'You see,' she explained, pulling a dagger from her pocket and cleaning it with the fabric of her skirt. 'This is just the perfect opportunity for us to eliminate the biggest threat in all of Oz.'

She tipped Fiyero's head up, examining his face, trailing her knife along his jaw. 'I'm so glad little Nessarose was willing to help me,' she said. 'Through Nessa, I could get to _you_, dearie; and the funny thing is, that through _you_, I can get to your bouncy blonde friend and the rest of the Resistance.'

'It's not going to work,' Elphaba spat. 'Glinda is going to stay far away from here. She's smart. She won't fall for you trap, Morrible.'

'Tell me, Miss Elphaba.' Morrible's knife was still pointing towards Fiyero's face, but her gaze was fixed on Elphaba's. 'If you were screaming in agony, wouldn't our dear blonde come out to rescue you?'

'I would never do that,' the young witch said through clenched teeth. 'No matter what you do to me, or how much you hurt me, I'd rather bite off my own tongue than give you the satisfaction of hearing me scream.'

'I wasn't talking about physical pain, dearie.' With a significant look, she traced Fiyero's eyebrow with the tip of her knife.

Elphaba's eyes widened as she realised what Morrible was implying. 'You wouldn't,' she breathed.

Morrible's grin broadened. 'Oh, dearie. You know me better than that.'

She did, of course. She knew Morrible wouldn't hesitate to kill Fiyero if she thought she could accomplish a goal that way – a goal like luring Glinda to her… or just a goal like seeing Elphaba suffer.

Morrible raised her knife. 'Say goodbye to your prince, dearie.'

Fiyero squeezed his eyes shut, already mentally preparing for the deadly blow; but then, he heard a piercing, earth-shattering scream.

'NO!'

The moment the scream left Elphaba's lips, her magic left her fingertips, and everyone around her was suddenly knocked over by a forceful wind. Morrible's knife sliced along Fiyero's face as they both fell, and Elphaba scrambled over towards him. 'Yero!'

He pushed himself up, gasping. 'I'm fine.'

She dropped to her knees, cradling his head between her hands, searching him for any injuries. When she saw the blood dripping from a gash on his forehead, she drew in her breath with a sharp hiss. 'You're not fine. You're bleeding!'

He brought his hand up to his face. When he lowered it again, his fingers were sticky with blood.

She tore a piece of fabric from her dress, using it to wipe the blood from his face. He gently grasped her wrist, stilling her movements. 'Fae?'

She looked at him. There were tears in her eyes and she seemed panicked.

He leaned his forehead against hers, holding her gaze. 'I'm fine,' he repeated, trying to calm her down.

She let out the breath she had been holding and nodded. 'Okay,' she said faintly.

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet. 'Let's go.'

She risked one quick glance over her shoulder. Morrible was pushing herself up to her hands and knees, pointing one finger at the two. 'Seize them!' she yelled, but the Gale Force soldiers were still on the floor, some of them unconscious, and didn't react right away.

Elphaba and Fiyero ran through the forest, dodging trees and bushes. Fiyero stumbled and Elphaba skidded to a halt, grabbing his arm just in time to prevent him from toppling over. He was swaying slightly and she wrapped her arm around his waist. 'Yero?'

He was panting. 'Give me a moment.'

'Are you-'

'Just a bit dizzy, Fae. That's all.'

She inspected the wound on his forehead. It still hadn't stopped bleeding. It wasn't big enough to do any serious damage, but they couldn't keep on running. 'You need to sit down.'

'We can't. Fae, the Gale Force…'

She looked around her. They were close to Colwen Grounds. 'We should get back to the Governor's mansion. My broom is there – we could get out of here.' She brushed some of his hair away from his forehead. 'Could you do that for me?'

He flashed her a weak smile. 'Sure, Fae. I can walk. I'm not an invalid.'

Slowly, they started making their way towards the mansion again. Elphaba kept looking over her shoulder, afraid the Gale Force would catch up with them, but there wasn't much she could do about that; they were moving as quickly as they could.

'Fae,' Fiyero broke the silence. 'We're moving too slow.'

'You can't go any faster.'

'I can't.' He stopped and placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look into his eyes. 'But you can.'

'Shut up,' she snapped. 'I'm not leaving you behind. I'd rather die.' She wrapped her arm around his waist again and practically dragged him along.

'Elphaba…'

'Shut _up_, Yero.'

They barely made it another twenty meters before Elphaba was suddenly hit in the back by something. With a cry, she was thrown forward, landing face-down on the floor. Before Fiyero could even process what was happening, the Gale Force was all over the both of them, pushing them down. Morrible appeared from behind them, looking absolutely furious.

'So you thought you could escape me, dearie?' she snarled. 'You can't. All you've done now is make me angry.' Her eyes flashed dangerously. 'Really, really angry.'

Elphaba tried to scramble to her feet, but Morrible shot some kind of lightning from her fingertips, hitting the green girl in the back and knocking her down again. Fiyero struggled against the soldiers holding him down. 'Fae!'

One of the Gale Force soldiers gagged him, preventing him from saying anything else; and Morrible advanced on the raven-haired witch. 'I guess I'm going to have to take measures to prevent you from trying to escape again, then.' Before Elphaba could even move, Morrible flipped her, so that she was lying down on her back, the older sorceress towering over her. 'I could tie you down,' she hissed, 'or use magic, but I think I know of a way that's just as effective… and much more painful.'

Elphaba tried to get away from her, but she bumped into a Gale Force soldier that was blocking her way. Morrible smirked at her and lifted her foot.

Fiyero had to watch, helpless and in complete horror, as the old hag brought her foot down upon Elphaba's upper leg – hard. There was the sickening noise of a bone snapping and Morrible cackled as Elphaba let out a bloodcurdling scream, a sound that vibrated in his veins and echoed in his ears.

Morrible chuckled. 'No more running away for you, dearie.' Fiyero could see the bone sticking out of Elphaba's leg, even through the fabric of her dress, and he felt nauseous. He wanted nothing more than to go to her, hold her in his arms and take her to safety, but there was nothing he could do; he was still being restrained by what once were his own men, and because of the gag in his mouth, he couldn't even say something to reassure her.

Elphaba just lay on the ground, curled into herself, gasping and softly whimpering in pain. Morrible looked around her, an evil smirk on her face. 'Glinda!' she called. 'You can come out now, dearie – I know you're there! If you want to save your little green friend and princey here, I suggest you come out quickly!'

Just then, there was a giggle. The old witch couldn't tell where it came from; she spun around, expecting to see Glinda standing behind her, but the blonde girl wasn't there.

'Glinda, dear,' Morrible said in a sugary sweet tone of voice. 'Why don't you come out so that I can kill you?'

They all listened. Nothing broke the silence – the only thing that could be heard was the rustling of leaves as the wind blew through them, howling softly.

For a few clock-ticks, nothing happened.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a petite blonde in a fluffy pink cupcake dress came flying through the air, letting out a rather impressive howl as she swung in on a vine. She landed neatly on her feet – quite the accomplishment, given that she was wearing her usual high heels – and cocked her head at Morrible, cerulean eyes sparking dangerously and bright white magic crackling around her fingertips.

'Let the green girl go.'


	27. Chapter 27 Sacrifices Must Be Made

**AN: Another update, for you! (And another cliffy, also for you! :D)**

**EmeraldReine: Yes, I loved the bit you wrote ;). Until now, I always went with Colinda, but Glorrin sounds pretty awesome, too... xD**

**Fae Tiggular: Actually, I can still see the f-word ^_^. That's kind of stupid. Like, the site blocks the word 'Shiz' because it's like 'shit', but you can say the f-word without it being blocked? :P**

**Anyway, I loved all your reviews, thank you so much! :) And for the ones of you who didn't notice yet: I also updated Ocean's Daughter today. Just so you know, you can take back your army of Galinda's/flying monkeys/whatever it was you had in store for me not updating :3.**

* * *

**Chapter 27. Sacrifices Must Be Made**

The presence of the blonde seemed to snap Elphaba out of her pain-induced trance. 'Glinda…' she breathed. 'Get… get out of here!'

'Shut up, witch,' one of the soldiers growled, kicking her hard in the side. She cringed, gasping for breath.

Fiyero tried to get to her once again, but the Gale Force' grip on his arms tightened. 'Don't make us shoot you,' one of them warned him, and reluctantly, he stopped his struggle. It was no use, anyway.

Glinda ignored them all. 'And the prince, too,' she added to her earlier demand, with a look at Fiyero.

Morrible chuckled softly. 'It's not that easy, blondie.'

They started circling each other, holding each other's gaze. 'Let them go,' Glinda said in a low voice, 'or you'll regret it.'

Morrible snorted a laugh. 'Dearie,' she said in amusement. '_You _are going to be the one to regret.' With that, she shot lightning from her fingertips.

Glinda jumped aside, dodging the lightning. She screwed up her nose in concentration as she started to chant; Morrible quickly created a magical shield around herself. The shield reflected Glinda's spell, bouncing it back and hitting one of the Gale Force soldiers instead. He exploded, sending blood flying everywhere.

Glinda stomped her foot in frustration. 'Oz dammit!' she yelled. 'Why can't I ever get that spell right!'

'Because…' Elphaba said breathlessly. 'Because you're saying '_sangria_' instead of '_sangra_'.'

'Really?' Glinda's face brightened. 'That's it?' She started chanting again, this time aiming for one of the Gale Force soldiers holding Fiyero. When she finished, the man slumped down without another word, dead.

Glinda squealed. 'I did it!'

'Glinda!' Fiyero warned her sharply, and the blonde whirled around, only to find Morrible shooting another bolt of lightning in her direction. She jumped out of the way. 'You won't win this, Morrible!'

'And why is that?' the older woman snarled, advancing on the blonde.

Glinda searched the trees, and she smiled when she saw them there, up high. They had arrived just in time.

'Because I didn't come alone.'

Morrible narrowed her eyes. 'What's that supposed to-'

'Corry, now!' Glinda suddenly screamed, and before they knew it, Resistance members were jumping down from the trees, swarming all over the Gale Force soldiers. They didn't outnumber them, but they had the element of surprise on their side; and soon, most of the soldiers were either bound or killed.

Morrible backed away, slowly, her eyes darting around nervously, taking in all the Resistance members. Glinda slowly advanced on her, her arms stretched out. 'There's no escape for you now, Morrible.'

'Nice try, dearie,' the old fish hissed. 'But I'm not finished quite yet.'

She raised her arms. Immediately, the sky darkened, black clouds looming over them, lightning crackling up high in the air. The sound of thunder mingled with Morrible's cackle. 'You forgot that I have power over the weather, dearie.'

A hard wind started to blow, and Glinda braced herself. Corrin went to stand by her side, more Resistance members following him. 'Ready?' he shouted over the howling wind. 'Now!'

They started shooting at her – with rifles, guns, bows and arrows. Glinda, who had recently learned how to shoot lightning from her fingertips just like Elphaba and Morrible could, used magic. However, Morrible had created another magical shield around herself and was still unharmed.

The remaining Gale Force soldiers now advanced on the Resistance members again. Corrin was shouting orders left and right, and Glinda kept an eye on Morrible; every time she thought she saw the force field falter, she shot a bolt of lightning towards the older witch, but it didn't help much.

Meanwhile, Fiyero managed to escape the soldiers holding him down – one of them had been killed by Glinda's spell earlier, and the other one got distracted by everything that was happening, allowing the prince to break free.

He immediately moved towards Elphaba. She was still curled up on the floor, watching everything around her vigilantly, but every once in a while, she closed her eyes and a flash of pain crossed her face. Fiyero crawled towards her, brushing her hair away from her face. 'Fae?'

She opened her eyes and immediately tried to sit up. 'Yero, are you okay?'

He gently urged her to lie back down again. 'Fine, Fae.'

She reached up to touch the gash in his forehead. 'It stopped bleeding.'

'It did,' he confirmed. He gave her a lopsided, slightly shaky smile. 'It's going to be a scar, though. Straight through my eyebrow, just like yours. We'll match.'

She rolled her eyes and tried to sit up again, but had to lie back down, a soft whimper escaping her lips. Fiyero felt sick to his stomach again when he saw the wound in her leg. It wasn't a clean break, he could see that from here; he hoped Morrible hadn't done any lasting damage, but he had seen many broken bones in his time as Captain of the Guard, and this was an ugly wound.

'Elphie!' Glinda suddenly dropped down to her knees next to the emerald witch, looking worried. 'Elphie, are you okay?'

'Of course,' the green girl said drily. 'I'm peachy.'

Glinda flashed her a quick grin before sobering again. 'Elphie, I need your help to defeat Morrible.'

Elphaba gripped both Fiyero and Glinda's hands, forcing herself up to her feet – alright, foot; she _really _couldn't put any weight on her broken leg – despite their protests. 'What do you need me to do, Glin?'

'One of us has to say the spell that will break through her magical shield,' said Glinda. 'At the same time, the other has to chant a spell that will kill her. I can't do that by myself – she's way more powerful than I am, and by the time I finish the killing spell, she'll just have created a new shield.'

Elphaba nodded firmly. 'Alright. I'll take out her force field, you take out _her_.'

Glinda looked at her pointedly. 'Are you sure you trust me with that spell?' she asked rather sarcastically, and Elphaba flashed her a weary grin. 'To be perfectly honest, I couldn't care less if Morrible exploded into a thousand tiny little pieces.'

Glinda returned her grin. 'Me, neither.'

'Glinda, dear!' Morrible suddenly called, smirking at the blonde girl. 'Look what I've got here!'

Glinda's eyes widened when she saw that Morrible was holding Corrin up, trapping him in a magical beam of light. He struggled weakly, but he couldn't do anything against Morrible's magic.

The fish-woman pulled out a knife. 'Surrender now, or your boyfriend is dead!' she yelled.

Glinda gripped Elphaba's hand so tightly her knuckles went white. 'Let's do this.'

Elphaba started chanting, and Glinda joined in with the second spell soon after. The wind started swirling around them, forming some kind of mini-tornado, causing their hair and skirts to billow around them; raven and blonde, black and pink, until the wind picked up and there was no telling where one girl ended and the other began. Their voices became louder, rising above the howling of the wind. Fiyero had to shield his eyes against the wind and the bright flashes of magic accompanying it.

When he looked again, the wind and the magic were gone. Elphaba and Glinda were both panting, the former leaning heavily on the latter; everyone around them had stopped fighting, just staring and blinking at the two witches in awe.

In the middle of it all, Morrible was lying on her stomach, her face turned to the side, eyes wide open, mouth agape. She was obviously dead.

Fiyero gently supported Elphaba, allowing her to lean on him instead of Glinda, who looked like she was about to collapse herself. 'You did it,' he breathed in the young witch's ear. 'Fae, you and Glinda did it! You killed her!'

Elphaba was gasping for breath, resting her head against his chest. He looked down at her worriedly. 'Are you okay?'

She nodded faintly. 'Just a lot of magic. Combining magic to use spells like these is kind of exhausting, and I wasn't in perfect shape to begin with. Give me a moment, Yero, I'll be fine.'

Just then, however, Glinda let out a bloodcurdling scream. 'Corrin!'

It was the first time in a long time that she actually used his real name instead of the nickname she had given him, and Elphaba's head immediately whipped around in alarm. Her eyes widened when she saw Corrin lying on the ground on his back. Somewhere in the rush of all the magic, Morrible's knife had fallen… and was now sticking out of Corrin's chest.

Fiyero quickly helped her over there. Glinda had already fallen down next to him, sobbing. 'Corrin, no… Don't die, Corry, please,' she begged him.

He was still conscious, but he was white as a sheet and anyone could see that he wouldn't hold out much longer. 'Glin…'

'Don't do this!' Glinda wept, burying her face in his stomach. 'Corry, please! I love you, we're supposed to rule Oz together and make everything better… You can't die on me now!'

He coughed. Blood stained his lips, which only made Glinda cry harder. 'I…' He was wheezing for air. 'I'm sorry, Glin…'

'No!' She was nearly choking on her own tears, and Elphaba watched with tears in her own eyes as well. She looked at Corrin and closed her eyes for a brief moment. Then she opened them again and looked straight at Fiyero. 'Get her out of here.'

He met her gaze, surprised. 'What?'

'Get her out of here,' Elphaba repeated softly. 'Just take her away for now. Please?'

He hesitated, and she added, 'Yero. Do you trust me?'

'Of course,' he replied immediately. He carefully let go of her, assuring himself of the fact that she could stay upright without his support, before moving towards Glinda. 'Glin? Come with me, Glinda.'

'No!' She started struggling against him. '_No_! Fiyero, let me go! NO! Corrin!' she screamed, and Fiyero had to drag her away almost literally. Once they were between the trees and Corrin was out of their sight, however, Glinda collapsed against Fiyero's chest, sobbing her heart out as he tried to comfort her.

Elphaba gritted her teeth, painfully slowly making her way over to where Corrin was lying. His eyes were closed now, and she sank down next to him, careful. She looked at him, hesitating. She wasn't sure it would work, what she was about to try; that's why she had wanted Glinda away for now. She needed to concentrate, and she also didn't want the blonde to get her hopes up, for it would only crush her more if it turned out that this wouldn't work.

She gripped the hilt of the knife and in one quick movement, yanked it out of Corrin's chest. His back arched for a moment, a pained scream escaping his lips, but she ignored it, placing her hands on his chest and closing her eyes, trying to recall the spell she needed.

'_Detene Leh Sangre Curar Herida Dolor Nah Vitam.'_

She kept on repeating the spell, chanting it over and over again, feeling the magic flowing through her body. She felt weak, but she only needed to think of Glinda to find the strength to press on. Her friend had been through so much, and she deserved this. She deserved to be happy with Corrin, to have her happy ending, her ever after with him.

Suddenly, he took in a gulp of air. And then another. His eyes opened, and stared back at Elphaba, blinking slowly.

Around them, the remaining Gale Force soldiers and Resistance members were watching it all in awe, eyes wide. When they realised that she had just healed Corrin's injury and that he was alive again, they started whispering and muttering to one another excitedly; the Resistance members were happy, while the Gale Force soldiers merely seemed terrified.

Corrin surprised the emerald witch by suddenly sitting up and wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

'Thank you,' he said solemnly. 'You saved my life.'

She gave him a tired smile. 'We're even, then.'

He returned her smile and gingerly rose to his feet, calling, 'Glinda?'

Almost immediately, the blonde came running from the trees, having recognised his voice. When she saw him, her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. 'Corry… but… you… I thought…'

He didn't say anything, just opened his arms to her. She ran towards him and threw herself at him, immediately starting to sob into his shoulder. 'I thought you had died!' she wailed, hiccupping between sobs, and he held her close, rubbing her back comfortingly. 'I know, darling. I know. But I'm fine, really.' He met Elphaba's eyes over the blonde's head. 'Really,' he said softly. 'Thank you.'

She smiled faintly. 'You're welcome.'

Fiyero, who had returned with the blonde, met Elphaba's gaze, stunned. 'Did you…?' he asked, baffled.

She shrugged. 'The spell has never worked before,' she said truthfully. 'But I figured it wouldn't hurt to try.'

She wasn't sure what had made it work this time; perhaps just the fact that her magic had been feeding off her emotions in the moment. She only had had to remember the look on Glinda's face when she saw that Corrin was dying, and a wave of determination had washed over her, strengthening her magic.

Whatever the reason was, she was glad it had worked.

Fiyero gingerly put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. 'I love you, Fae. And I'm proud of you.'

She pressed her cheek against his chest. 'I love you, too, Yero.'

She looked back at Corrin. 'What brought you here, anyway?' she asked, getting practical again, and he cocked his head a little. 'Glin didn't trust it,' he said. 'Everything going on in Munchkinland. She was afraid it would be a trap, and she insisted I come along, bringing some more members of the Resistance just in case. I'm glad I listened to her,' he added. 'If it weren't for her, Morrible wouldn't be dead right now – and I don't even want to think about what would have happened to you and Fiyero.'

Elphaba shuddered. 'Me, neither.'

Glinda, whose sobs had died down a little bit, now sniffled and detached herself from Corrin just long enough to gingerly wrap her arms around her best friend, hugging her tightly. 'Thank you so much, Elphie,' she whispered, and Elphaba hugged her back. 'Anytime, Glin. I'm just glad I could help.'

Glinda returned to Corrin, burrowing into his chest and locking her arms around his waist like she would never release him again. She sighed happily. 'So… is everything going to be okay now?' she asked tentatively.

Elphaba sighed, leaning back against Fiyero's chest. 'I don't think so. We still have the Wizard to take into account, and-'

'Oh, we took care of him,' Glinda interrupted.

The green girl stared at her. 'What?'

Glinda smirked. 'It was pure coincidence, really. Like Corry said, I didn't trust anything about this mission, so I decided to sneak into the Palace to see if I could find anything out. That's where I heard that Fiyero had also been sent to Munchkinland by the Wizard, and when I went upstairs to the Throne Room, he was there, all by himself. I knocked him unconscious and we took him prisoner.'

Elphaba quirked an eyebrow. 'Knocked him unconscious, how?'

Glinda made a face. 'I was afraid the spell wouldn't work,' she confessed. 'So I used his mechanical head.'

Fiyero looked confused. 'How did you-'

'Well, he was standing under it,' Glinda said matter-of-factly. 'I chanted the spell that melts metal, so that the metal thingies with which the head was attached to the wall broke down, and then the entire head fell onto the Wizard's… well, head. He was out right away.'

Elphaba sniggered. Fiyero shook his head, smiling, and Corrin squeezed the blonde closer for a moment. 'That's my girl,' he said proudly.

Glinda sighed happily and snuggled closer to him. 'Shall we go back?' she suggested. 'I'm really tired, and I guess you guys are, too, and…' Her eyes widened. 'Oh my Oz, Elphie, I'm so sorry! I completely forgot about your broken leg!'

Elphaba waved her away. 'It's fine. You had other things on your mind, after all.'

The blonde looked at her pointedly. 'Elphaba.' She shook her head. 'Never mind. Let's just get out of here and get you to Mey, okay? She can take care of that wound – she's a nurse, after all.'

Fiyero nodded. 'Let's go.'

Suddenly, a new voice spoke up, icy and dangerously low. 'Not so fast.'

They all froze up, not sure what was happening. Only Elphaba, who recognised the voice, looked like she was going to be sick.

Slowly, she turned around. 'Nessa?'

The younger girl in the chair cackled. 'Who else?' She bore her eyes into her sister's. 'I still have some unfinished business to attend to. After all, I _did _wish for you to be dead, didn't I?' She let out a mirthless laugh. 'And I always get my wish.'

Glinda looked around. The Gale Force soldiers had by now been tied and taken away by the Resistance members, to be imprisoned later; they were alone. Just the four of them… and Nessa.

But then again, Nessa was just a small girl in a wheelchair. How much of a danger could she really pose?

She didn't trust the girl, though, so she pulled Elphaba behind her, standing in front of the green girl protectively. 'If you want to kill Elphie, you're going to have to kill me first,' she declared.

Fiyero immediately stepped forward. 'And me.'

Corrin went to stand next to them. 'And me, too.'

Elphaba just sighed irritably. 'Guys… she's my sister. I can handle her.'

'You could, once.' Nessa slowly wheeled herself closer to them, her eyes burning. 'You have taken everything away from me,' she hissed at the green girl. 'My family. My ability to walk… My revenge. You didn't even want me to find love, that's how selfish you are!'

'Boq not loving you has nothing to do with me, Nessa!' Elphaba protested. 'You forced him to come with you – can you blame him for not wanting to stay? You've changed into a bitter and cold dictator, Nessa. And I hate to say it, but I think you're truly lost now.'

'Lost?' The girl threw her head back and cackled, a spine-chilling sound. 'Lost? Me?' She stared pointedly at her older sister again. 'My dear Fabala,' she said mockingly. 'The only thing that will be _lost _around here is your life.' She wheeled closer again. 'Did you know Boq ran away from me?' she spat. 'After you came here and we captured you? Did you know that when I came back home, he was gone? You encouraged him, didn't you? He was the love of my life, Elphaba, and you took him away from me. You took _everything _away from me!' With a frustrated shriek, she turned around and raced towards one of the dead Gale Force soldiers on the ground, leaning forward to pick up his gun. She turned again, her eyes burning with insanity.

'Well,' she said in a low voice. 'If _I _can't have love… then neither can you.'

She pointed the gun at Fiyero, her finger tightening around the trigger.


	28. Chapter 28 Highway To Hell

**AN: I loved your reviews. Everyone was completely freaking out of me, and then Stagemanagertargaryen just says 'sweeeeeet'. That made me laugh so hard.**

**Musicgal, I loved your scenarios xD.**

**Artsoccer, as from now, you hold the happy emotica record, the 'nooo'-record, ánd the 'gaaaah'-record. Congratulotions :).**

**Seriously, though, your reviews really cheered me up, and I could use that. I may have mentioned before that I had to stop running because I had gone too fast and I got myself a knee injury. Well, I've been to a physiotherapist, stopped running, been cooling the knee, done exercises, even been taking meds, but it only got worse. Been to the GP last week, had an X-ray, but they couldn't find anything; so now I have to the orthopedist in the hospital, but basically, no one has an idea what's wrong. And all the while I'm limping and no painkiller helps :(. **

**So, anyway, sorry for the long and complainy rant, but you get that I've kind of been in a bad mood lately, and your reviews really help. So thank you all so much :).**

**Anyway, on with the story.**

* * *

**Chapter 28. Highway To Hell**

It all happened so fast. One moment, Nessa had been screeching accusations at her sister; and the next, she was holding a gun and pointing it at Fiyero, ready to pull the trigger. The girl had been quick as lightning in her movements.

But Elphaba was quicker.

The moment Nessa was about to pull the trigger, the sky darkened for just a clock-tick as bright white lightning shot from Elphaba's outstretched hand, hitting Nessarose square in the chest. The gun fell to the floor and Nessa slumped down, out of her chair and onto the ground as well, dead.

Glinda, Corrin, and Fiyero gaped at the younger girl for a moment. Elphaba slowly lowered her arm, shaking slightly when she realised what she had done. She had just murdered her little sister…

Memories flashed in her mind – six-year-old Elphaba reading a story to three-year-old Nessarose, the two little girls playing in the gardens together, going to primary school, high school, Elphaba standing up for her sister, losing control over her magic… Nessa and her at Shiz together, watching her little sister having fun at the OzDust Ballroom with Boq.

Boq.

That reminded her of everything that had happened afterwards. Nessarose forcing Boq to come with her and be her servant. Nessa oppressing the Munchkins. Getting her older sister arrested. The hate in her eyes when she screamed at Elphaba how everything had been her fault. The gun pointed at Fiyero, her finger ready to pull the trigger.

_If I can't have love, then neither can you!_

Yes, she had murdered her little sister. But she hadn't had much of a choice.

'I'm sorry, Nessa,' she whispered, slowly lowering herself onto the floor. A stab of pain shot up her broken leg, but she ignored it, gaze fixed on the body of her sister. 'I really am. But I had to.'

Fiyero knelt down next to her, and upon seeing the tears in her eyes, gingerly gathered her into his arms, resting his chin on the top of her head. 'You saved my life,' he whispered.

She was trembling all over, but she didn't cry. He just held her close to him and she buried her face in his shirt, taking a few deep breaths.

Glinda stepped forward, a concerned look in her cerulean eyes. 'Elphie?' she asked softly. 'Are you okay?'

Elphaba took another deep breath, then looked up at the blonde and nodded. 'Yeah…' she said faintly. 'I… I think so.'

Glinda leaned down to hug her friend. 'You did the right thing,' she told the raven-haired witch solemnly. 'She wasn't the little girl you grew up with anymore, Elphie. And she would have killed Fiyero.'

Elphaba's grip on him unconsciously tightened at that, but she nodded. 'I know.'

Glinda smiled at her. 'Come on. Let's get out of here.'

'How?' asked Corrin. 'Elphaba can't walk, and we can't very well make her hop all the way.'

'I could carry her,' Fiyero offered, but Elphaba looked at him pointedly. 'How are you going to do that without touching my leg?'

He grimaced. He hadn't really thought of that.

Just then, however, Glinda came with the solution. She was pushing Nessa's chair until it was right next to the green girl. 'Problem solved.'

The men fell silent. Elphaba just stared at the chair.

'Look,' said Glinda. 'I know it's kind of weird and a little creepy to sit in the very chair your now-dead sister was sitting in not ten minutes ago, but I _really _want to get out of here right now and this is the quickest way. Come on, you can do it.'

Elphaba sighed, but allowed Fiyero and Glinda to help her up and into the chair. She winced in pain, and they all shot her worried looks, but she snapped at them. 'Don't look at me like that!'

Glinda looked offended. 'No need to get snippy with me,' she sniffed. 'We're just worried.'

Fiyero placed a hand on the blonde's arm. 'Glinda.'

She sighed, but kept quiet. She knew that Elphie wasn't really herself right now – she was tired and in pain, and after everything that had happened, she couldn't really blame her friend for being a bit cranky. 'Sorry.'

Elphaba sighed, too. 'No, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-'

'I know you didn't,' Glinda cut her off. 'It's fine, Elphie, really. Let's just get you to a hospital, okay?' She looked at Corrin. 'Did Mey come with you?'

He nodded. 'She and two other nurses are waiting back at Colwen Grounds. They're probably taking care of the injured Resistance members as we speak.'

'What happened to the Gale Force soldiers?' the blonde asked.

'Taken prisoner,' replied Corrin. 'We still have a lot of work ahead of us. The Wizard is captured and Morrible is dead, but that doesn't mean the people will just accept you and me as their new leaders.'

'Perhaps I can help,' Fiyero spoke up thoughtfully.

Corrin and Glinda both stared at him blankly. 'Huh?'

He carefully steered the wheelchair around a fallen tree before answering. 'I'm the Captain of the Gale Force. I have _some _influence over the people. And we don't have to tell the Ozians that you are the Leader of the Resistance and the Wicked Witch of the North; we just tell them that the Wizard has disappeared and Morrible has been killed, and that you two step forward as the new leaders of Oz, that I fully support you and I hope the people will, too, blah blah blah…'

Corrin paused for a moment, then said in wonder, 'You know? That's actually not such a bad idea.'

Fiyero flashed him a weary grin. 'I do have good ideas. Sometimes.'

Corrin smiled. 'Thank you, Fiyero. We're not there yet… but I think everything is going to be alright in the end.'

Glinda, meanwhile, had moved to walk next to Elphaba's chair, looking a bit pale. 'E-Elphie?'

The green girl looked up at her friend. 'Yeah?'

'You're…' Glinda swallowed. 'You're bleeding.'

'I know.' The wound in her leg was actually leaving a thin trail of blood behind as Fiyero pushed the chair towards Colwen Grounds.

'But Elphie, that...' Glinda looked a bit sick. 'That's a _lot _of blood.'

'Yes, Glinda,' the other girl replied patiently. 'That's usually what happens when there's an open wound.'

'Okay,' the blonde said faintly. She blinked a few times, then frowned a little. 'Elphie? What is that thing sticking out of your leg?'

Despite everything, Elphaba had to bite back a laugh. 'That would be my bone, Glinda.'

'Your _what_?!'

Corrin chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. 'Relax, Glin. Deep breaths in and out.'

Glinda looked about ready to faint. 'But… but… her _bone _is sticking out of her body!' she protested. She looked at Elphaba leg, turned a shade that was almost as green as Elphaba's skin, and immediately turned around, declaring, 'I can't look at this. Corry, I think I'm going to faint.'

'Glin,' Elphaba said, trying her hardest to keep a grin off her face. 'You took care of my bullet wound – twice. You made people explode into a thousand tiny pieces. You could handle the blood then and you can handle the broken bone now.'

'Besides, no one is asking you to take care of it,' Corrin reassured her. 'Mey and the other nurses will. Just keep your eyes off it, okay? I don't want you fainting.'

When they reached the Governor's mansion, Mey came rushing out of the house. 'I heard what happened,' she said. 'Corrin, are you okay?'

He nodded. 'I'm fine, Mey,' he reassured the Sheep. 'Elphaba made sure of that.'

Mey then noticed Elphaba in the chair and nodded firmly. 'Okay. Let's get her inside so I can take a look at that leg, okay?'

'Can I stay with her?' Fiyero asked, and the Sheep nodded again. 'You can, but I want everyone else out.'

'Come on,' Corrin said to Glinda. 'Let's see if we can make ourselves useful.'

'I'm going to give you a sedative, Elphaba,' Mey said when the green girl was lying on a table, allowing the Sheep better access to her leg. 'It also contains some pain medication. I'm going to have to set your leg and that's going to hurt.'

Elphaba gritted her teeth. 'I bet it won't hurt half as much as Morrible actually _breaking _the leg,' she said. Fiyero squeezed her hand.

Mey, however, looked serious. 'You might get back at that, Elphaba.'

Elphaba choked. 'For real?'

Mey nodded. 'I'm sorry, but I'm not going to lie to you. It's going to hurt. A lot.'

She opened a small suitcase and took out a syringe, carefully preparing the sedative before exposing Elphaba's arm. 'Here it goes.'

She injected the stuff into Elphaba's bloodstream and put the needle away. She moved to the other side of the table, gingerly pushing up Elphaba's dress to expose her leg. 'Ready?'

Elphaba eyed the sheep warily. 'I guess so.'

'I'm right here,' Fiyero whispered, leaning down to kiss her temple. 'You can squeeze my hand if it hurts.'

Mey gently removed Elphaba's hand from Fiyero's. 'I _really _don't think that's a good idea, Fiyero, unless you want to be sent to a nurse yourself with broken fingers.'

'Just for your information,' Elphaba said drily, even though her heart was pounding in her chest, 'this is doing nothing at all to reassure me about what is to come.'

'I'm just going to do it,' Mey told her. 'The sooner I'll do it, the sooner it's over.' Elphaba nodded, and the Sheep positioned herself to do the job. Elphaba squeezed her eyes shut.

The scream that escaped her lips when Mey set the bone might just have been the most horrendible sound Fiyero had heard in all his life. It was almost as awful, perhaps even more, as the sound she had made when Morrible had broken the bone in the first place; and he was sure it was going to haunt his nightmares for quite some time.

He knelt down next to her and she buried her face in his shirt, biting down on her lip until she tasted blood. She refused to cry and she _really _didn't want to scream again, but the pain was worse than she had ever felt in her life.

Mey looked worried, and Fiyero noticed it. 'Mey? What's wrong?'

She sighed and looked at him. 'It's a pretty ugly break,' she replied. 'I'm going to have to operate.'

Elphaba cringed a little and the Sheep looked at her sympathetically. 'I'm going to give you another sedative, Elphaba,' she told the young witch. 'A stronger one. It's not strong enough to knock you out completely, but it's the strongest thing I have with me right now and I'm afraid that if we move you back to the City or to a hospital first, more damage might be done.'

Elphaba bit her lower lip. 'So basically, you're telling me that you're going to perform surgery on me while I'm still conscious?'

Mey sighed. 'I'm sorry, Elphaba, but there's no other way. And you won't be _entirely _conscious,' she tried to reassure the girl. 'It has to be done, though, or your leg might end up permanently damaged. We don't want you in a wheelchair for the rest of your life, do we?'

Elphaba sighed and nodded her consent.

* * *

The next hour or so was nothing less than hell for Elphaba.

Even after everything she had already been through in the past years, she could easily say that this was the most horrendible hour of her entire life. The sedative Mey had given her worked well enough to reduce her agonised screams to nothing more than pitiful whimpers, and it prevented her from flailing around; but she still felt almost everything Mey was doing and the pain was excruciating, seemingly lasting forever. She just closed her eyes and prayed for it to be over soon, caught in a haze of endless pain.

Mey worked as quickly and smoothly as possible, and Fiyero was being wonderful; but by the time Mey was done, Elphaba felt like she had been ripped apart and stitched together again – several times.

Mey stitched the wound up and carefully cleaned it, putting a bandage around it. With Fiyero's help, she moved the dazed green girl to a bedroom, gingerly laying her down in the bed. 'Are you staying with her?' she asked Fiyero softly.

He just gave her a look. She smiled. 'Of course you are.' She sobered. 'She's probably going to be a bit drowsy for the next few hours at least. She might sleep a lot – I gave her some more drugs against the pain, but I'm not sure how much that will help. If the wound starts bleeding again, or you notice that she's reacting in a strange way, please send for me immediately, okay?'

He nodded. 'I will.'

'Yero?' Elphaba's voice came from the direction of the bed, sounding smaller and weaker than he had ever heard it, and it broke his heart. He quickly moved over to the bed, taking her hand in his and brushing some strands of hair away from her face. 'Yes, Fae?'

Her eyes were closed, her face pale, and there was a light sheen of sweat covering her skin. 'It hurts,' she whispered weakly.

He crawled into the bed next to her, softly pulling her against him. 'I know, my Fae. I know. But it's over now.' He kissed her temple. 'You were so brave today, Fae, and I'm so proud of you.'

She murmured something unintelligible, burrowing closer to him, and he held her in his arms as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When she opened her eyes, she was disoriented for a moment. Her leg was throbbing and she felt incredibly sore and sleepy, yet her senses seemed heightened at the same time; which was why it didn't take her long to notice the dark figure in a corner of the room, watching her.

Fiyero had fallen asleep with his arms still around her, and she didn't move away from him as she peered at the person that was in the room with them. 'Boq?'

He came out a bit hesitantly, looking torn. 'I didn't mean to scare you,' he hastily assured her. 'I just wanted to see if you were okay.'

She flashed him a weak grin that didn't convince him at all. 'Never better.'

He shuffled around a bit. 'Did… Did you… Is it true?' he blurted out. 'That you killed Nessa?'

She sighed and let her head drop back onto the pillow. A pounding headache was forcing itself upon her – probably another consequence of the sedatives Mey had given her. 'Yes,' she said softly. 'I'm sorry, Boq – I had to.'

He quickly shook his head. 'Don't apologise,' he said. 'I mean… I guess I'll kind of miss her, in some way… but I'll miss the person she was when we were still at Shiz. Not the person you killed today.'

She gave him another faint smile. 'I know what you mean.'

'I was afraid she would kill _you_,' he admitted. 'Before I left, I saw Morrible giving your sister a spell book. She had Nessa try out some of the spells in it, and they worked – they were horrendible spells, to torture or murder someone…' He shuddered slightly at the memory. 'She was planning on using the spells on you and Fiyero, and on Corrin and Glinda.'

Elphaba looked at him, confused. 'But she didn't have any spell book with her when she came to find us.'

Now it was Boq's turn to give her a grin. 'That's because I hid the spell book.'

She was stunned. 'What?'

He sighed. 'Look, Elphaba… we're not really friends anymore. But that doesn't mean I've forgotten all about Shiz, and how we grew up together in Munchkinland. I wanted to help you. And besides,' he added sarcastically, 'if I had to choose between you and your sister, the choice wasn't all that hard.' He shook his head. 'So I took the spell book from her when she was sleeping, and I buried it in the gardens. I just hoped it would increase the odds of you winning that battle somewhat.'

She smiled at him, genuinely this time. 'Thank you, Boq. I think you may just have saved our lives by doing that.'

He flushed a little. 'You're welcome.' He was quiet for a moment and she looked at him. 'Why did you come back?' she asked. 'Nessa said you ran away from her after Morrible took me captive.'

'I did,' he said. 'But I wanted to see for myself that you survived and Nessa didn't.' He fell silent and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt awkwardly. 'And… I kind of wanted to check up on Glinda,' he admitted finally. 'See if she really is happy with that guy.'

Elphaba just had to roll her eyes fondly at that. 'You never change, do you?'

He shrugged. 'I might find a girl that _does _like me back someday,' he said quietly. 'But I want to know that Glinda is okay first.'

'You're so sentimental.'

He flashed her a grin. She yawned, feeling sleep trying to claim her once more.

Boq moved towards the door. 'I'll go now,' he said. 'I probably won't come back.'

She nodded. He did, too. 'Alright. Just… Keep an eye on Glinda for me.'

'I will.'

He smiled at her. 'Get well soon, Elphie. Bye.'

With those words, he disappeared from her life forever.

* * *

**Also, you might be happy to know that I've just finished the first chapter of the Yero My Hero sequel. I will be putting it up here as soon as I come up with a title :). Any ideas? Something to do with little princesses and lots of disasters? :D**


	29. Chapter 29 Take A Chance

**AN: Only a few more chapters to go! I think only one after this... maybe two.**

**Elphaba'sGirl, I loved your title suggestions :P.**

**Watercolor: Thank so much for the virtual painkillers ^_^.**

**Artsoccer: You just broke yourself another record. Congratulotions.**

* * *

**Chapter 29. Take A Chance**

'Fae?'

The first thing she became aware of was Fiyero's voice, immediately followed by the painful throbbing in her leg. She bit her lower lip to hold back a yelp and forced herself to open her eyes.

Fiyero was hovering over her. He smiled gently when he saw that her eyes were open. 'Hey.'

She moved closer to him, burying her face in his chest, and he held her to him. 'You okay?'

'Just peachy.'

He chuckled softly, running his fingers through her long raven hair. 'I love you.'

Now she looked up at him. 'Love you, too,' she murmured. He kissed her forehead. 'Mey says that we can take you to a real hospital now.'

She shook her head stubbornly. 'I don't want to go to a hospital. I hate hospitals.'

'I know you do, Fae, but Mey said herself that she has been improvising,' he said. 'Someone needs to take a look at that leg in a more professional setting, or it might end up permanently damaged. It's bad enough the way it is.'

Elphaba grunted something unintelligible. He carefully helped her sit up a little. 'Come on. I think I can carry you, if I'm careful, but the moment it hurts, you tell me, okay?'

'Okay,' she mumbled, and he wrapped her up in a blanket, then lifted her up in his arms. She rested her head against his shoulder, closing her eyes, as he carried her outside to the waiting carriage.

'Elphie!' Glinda came running out of the house, stopping in front of Fiyero, slightly out of breath. 'Where are you taking her?' she asked.

'Hospital,' he said, and she nodded. 'Okay.' She moved to Elphaba's head. 'Elphie?'

The raven-haired witch cracked open one eye and Glinda hugged her a bit awkwardly, taking her hand and squeezing it. 'Get well soon.'

'You know me,' Elphaba muttered. 'Ill weeds, and stuff.'

Glinda chuckled, then kissed the green girl's cheek. 'Well, anyway, good luck. I'll see you when we get back to the City, okay?' She let go of Elphaba's hand and watched as Fiyero took her inside the carriage, positioning her so that she was lying with her head cradled in his lap and her broken leg stretched out, as Mey had advised him.

She was still drowsy from the sedatives, and she slept most of the way to Munchkin City.

He stroked her hair, twirling strand of it around his finger as he watched her sleep. Truth be told, he was anxious. Mey had told him solemnly that it didn't really look good, and that's why they needed to get to a hospital as quickly as possible – to save whatever could still be saved. Still, the Sheep had told him sadly that she feared that Elphaba would never walk normally again.

'What do you mean?' he had demanded, slightly panicky. 'She'll be in a wheelchair?'

Mey had shaken her head. 'Not necessarily,' she'd assured him. 'But she'll probably have a limp and have to use a cane for the rest of her life.' She had placed her hoof on his shoulder. 'It's not a given, though. Elphaba is a strong young woman. Anything could happen – she might fully recover.'

He had held on to that, and he hadn't told Elphaba about what the Sheep had said. It would only stress her out even more and he didn't want that.

When they arrived at the hospital, he carried her inside. She was still sleeping , and she didn't wake up as she was admitted into the hospital and assigned a room, where Fiyero gently put her down in the bed.

'Sir?' A nurse sympathetically placed a hand on his shoulder, making him jump. She smiled at him. 'The doctor will have a look at that leg soon. She's in the best hands. If you could just come back during visiting hours-'

He didn't even let her finish, just shook his head. 'No.'

'But sir,' the nurse tried again. 'It is hospital policy that-'

'I'm staying,' he declared. 'Either that, or I'm going to get her out of here and bring her to a hospital that _will _let me stay.'

The nurse looked cross and her smile had faded, but she nodded curtly. 'I see.' She left.

He looked at the dark-haired witch, still sound asleep. Of course he wanted to just be there for her, but that wasn't even the main reason he wanted to stay. It was possible that someone might put the pieces together and realise that Elphaba was the Wicked Witch of the West, and when that happened, he had to be the one to save her, since she was in no condition to do that herself.

She stirred in the bed, eyes slowly blinking open. 'Yero?' She yawned. 'Where are we?'

He sat down in the chair next to the bed, taking her hand and lacing their fingers together. 'We're at the hospital,' he told her. 'In Munchkin City.'

She nodded sleepily. 'Okay.'

Just then, the doctor came in – a friendly-looking middle-aged man. 'Hello, Miss…' He looked at the notepad in his hands. 'Elphaba?'

She nodded.

He put the notepad down and moved to the other side of her bed, lifting the blankets to have a good look at her leg. 'How are you feeling?'

'Wonderful.'

He laughed. 'Good.' He carefully unwrapped the bandage Mey had applied to the leg, but then his smile faded. 'Miss Elphaba… what happened?'

She hesitated – she couldn't very well tell him the whole truth – and Fiyero answered for her. 'Someone stepped on it.'

The doctor looked shocked. 'An accident?'

Fiyero shook his head. 'On purpose.'

The man studied first Elphaba, then Fiyero. He pointed at the latter. 'You're the Captain of the Guard.'

He nodded. 'What does that have to do with anything?'

The doctor looked at Elphaba again, then shook his head and smiled. 'Nothing. Let's have a look at that leg of yours, Miss Elphaba.' He bent down to examine her leg, but suddenly, she spoke up.

'Are you going to tell anyone?'

The doctor's head shot up as if he had been stung. 'What?'

Fiyero looked confused. 'Fae? What is it?'

She ignored him, however, and locked eyes with the doctor instead. The man slowly straightened, and her gaze was fixed on him as she clarified, 'Are you going to tell anyone who I am?'

'Fae!' Fiyero exclaimed, shocked. What was she doing? He frantically wondered for a moment if this was a side effect of the sedatives Mey had given her – was she thinking straight?

The doctor blinked. 'I don't know what you're talking about, Miss Elphaba.'

'Yes, you do,' she said, pushing herself up a little. 'I know that you know – I can see it in your eyes. So don't bother denying it.'

He sighed, then nodded in acknowledgement. 'You have a sharp eye, Miss Elphaba.' He ran his fingers through his hair. 'No,' he said finally. 'I won't tell anyone that you're the Wicked Witch of the West.'

Fiyero gasped in surprise – both at the doctor knowing and at Elphaba knowing that the doctor knew – but the green girl herself just cracked the man a grin. 'I'm not _that _bad, you know.'

The doctor laughed. 'I can see that.' He sobered. 'But to me, you're just a patient. You need my help, and I will give that to you. It's what I do. Whether you're a princess, a Goat, or a Wicked Witch. Or… not-so-Wicked Witch.'

She chuckled faintly. 'Thank you.'

He took his time examining her leg, gently prodding it, nearly causing her to cry out, but she gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound. When he finished, he looked worried. 'I'm going to talk this over with a colleague of mine,' he said. 'I'll be right back.'

The moment the doctor left, Fiyero said, 'Fae.'

She looked up at him.

'How did you know?'

She immediately knew what he was talking about and smiled mysteriously. 'It's not all that hard, Fiyero. Usually when someone recognises me, I can see it in their faces, no matter how well they try to hide it.' She shrugged. 'It's a skill I picked up during my years on the run. It was a matter of life and death then – if someone recognised me and I didn't notice it, I might just get arrested.'

He nodded, impressed. '_I _certainly didn't realise that he knew.' He paused and Elphaba scrunched up her nose, looking worried. 'What do you think it means?' she asked quietly. 'That he's going to consult someone else? Is that a bad thing?'

Fiyero bit his lower lip. He probably had to tell her now. 'Fae…' He scooted closer and took both her hands in his. 'Before we left, Mey said to me-'

'Miss Elphaba.' The doctor came back in again, interrupting the prince. Fiyero faltered, then pulled back and stared at the floor, just hoping that the man wasn't going to say what he feared he was going to say.

'Whoever has already operated you has done a neat job,' the doctor assured her, standing next to the bed. 'I'm assuming it was rather improvised…'

'It was,' Elphaba admitted, and he nodded. 'But still, it's done very nicely. We won't even need to operate you again.'

She breathed a sigh of relief and she felt Fiyero nearly crushing her hand. That had been what she had been most afraid of.

'However,' the doctor continued, and she immediately tensed again. He looked at her solemnly. 'The sharp edges of the bone have damaged some muscles and tissue inside your leg.'

She held her breath, and when she didn't say anything, Fiyero croaked out, 'And?'

'And…' He sighed. 'I don't think it will completely heal, Miss Elphaba. In fact, it's highly unlikely that it will.'

She looked at him with wide eyes. 'Meaning?'

'Meaning you're going to have to use a crutch, or a cane, for the rest of your life,' he replied gently. 'But even before that, it's going to be a long way towards recovery. You can't put any weight on that leg, any at all, for at least four weeks; after that, I need you to start doing exercises to strengthen the leg, but you're still going to have to rest a lot, to give it the time it needs to grow back together.'

Elphaba seemed completely shocked, and Fiyero asked tentatively, 'How long will that take?'

'Before she can properly walk with a cane?' The doctor looked at Elphaba, then at the Prince. 'Probably about nine to ten months, though it could also be a lot less. It depends from patient to patient.'

Elphaba sucked in her breath and Fiyero's face fell. The doctor just gave them a sympathetic smile. 'I will come back later, alright?' Without waiting for an answer, he left.

The moment he stepped outside the room, Elphaba burst out, 'I don't believe this!'

Fiyero moved to sit on the edge of the bed, taking her hand again. 'Fae…'

She pushed herself to a sitting position, ignoring the pain in her leg. 'No, Fiyero! I can't… I mean…' She bit her lip. 'I _hate _that stupid old fish!' she blurted out. She rubbed her face, suddenly feeling very tired. She wasn't even sure what she was feeling right now. Just the mere thought of being _dependent _for the rest of her life, whether that was on a person or on a cane, made her stomach churn – not to mention the fact that she was Elphaba Thropp, and Elphaba Thropp was _not _able to stay in bed for four entire weeks . How could this have happened? When Morrible had been killed, and then Nessa, she had thought it would be over…

'I can't do this,' she whispered, and Fiyero moved closer to her in an attempt to comfort her. She pushed him away. '_Don't _do that! I don't need any help!'

'Fae, I get that-'

'No, you don't!' She scooted away from him the best she could with her broken leg. She wrapped her arms around her waist, hugging herself. 'Listen,' she said quietly, not looking at him. 'If what the doctor says is true, and… and I really am… I mean, I really can't…' She took a deep breath, but still didn't look at him. Then she shook her head. 'Just go.'

He was stunned. 'What?'

'You heard me. Just go.' Now she did raise her gaze, meeting his eyes. 'You're a prince, Fiyero. You're the Captain of the Guard. You were never supposed to be with me in the first place – what does a prince like you want with a weird, _green _fugitive like me, anyway? But now…' She shook her head again. 'I know you'd probably stay with me because you'd feel obligated to, you know, now that I'm… crippled… but you don't have to. You can go if you want to. I won't blame you. You deserve better than this… better than me.'

'Elphaba,' he said in a low voice, clearly fuming, though he was trying to hold it in. 'You stop this nonsense right this instant.'

She fell silent, stunned.

'I love you,' he stressed. 'Do you hear me? I _love _you. I don't care if you're weird or green or a fugitive or crippled. I would have loved you if you had been a giant purple cockroach with orange dots all over. I love you for _you_. For who you are inside. And whether you like it or not, I'm not going to leave you. Ever.' She moved away again when he came closer, but he just wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him despite her quiet protests. 'We'll get through this,' he promised. 'Together. I'm going to help you, and I bet Glin and Corrin will want to help you, too; and you're going to recover. Perhaps not fully, but at least to the best of your abilities. And who knows? Perhaps the doctor is wrong. Perhaps you _will _walk normally again one day.'

She didn't say anything, and he kept quiet, too, as they both just processed what was happening.

* * *

They went back to the City after that, but nothing was the same. Elphaba was stuck in bed for four weeks, with Fiyero taking care of her at all times, even when she got completely fed up with it all and didn't do anything but snap at him. Glinda and Corrin took to ruling Oz, which actually went rather smoothly, considering the circumstances; of course the people needed some convincing, but with help from Fiyero, and the support of several rulers – including the Sorceress of the South from Quadling Country and the King and Queen of the Vinkus – they accepted the two as their new leaders. It probably also helped that they were the perfect picture of good-looking, intelligent rulers; everyone could see how calm, intelligent, and kind Corrin was, and the Ozians were immediately entranced by Glinda's pretty, bouncy, blonde-and-pink bubbliness.

Especially Glinda often visited her friend, listening patiently to the green girl's endless rants about how much she hated to be cooped up inside a single room, her doubts about Fiyero and his love for her, and her struggles with her own feelings on the matter of being disabled. One day, however, about five weeks after the accident, the blonde was finally fed up with it.

'You know what?' she said to Elphaba. 'You need to _do _something.'

Elphaba stared at her, confused. 'I just told you – the doctor won't let me do anything but some exercises, and I can't be out of the bed for more than five minutes for those, either. Plus, Fiyero won't _ever _let me do anything else. He's watching me like a hawk.'

Glinda smiled. 'Leave it to me, Elphie.' She sobered, suddenly looking serious as she met her friend's gaze. 'Elphie, this has been going on for too long. I know you're in pain and what you're going through must be awful, but it's not like you to be wallowing in self-pity and I don't like it. I need you to snap out of it, and I'm going to help you.' She squeezed her friend's hand. 'Tomorrow, I will come back,' she promised. 'And we're going to make you walk again.' Her face darkened as she added dramatically, 'Even if it's the last thing I'll ever do.'

* * *

**Also, I just wanted to tell you guys that I put up the Yero My Hero sequel :). It's called You're Still The One, after the Shania Twain song. I decided to drop the princess-and-disaster-title and just go with something that would fit nicely with the first one - you know, like, Yero her hero, and he's still the one, meaning he's still her hero. And that's a good thing, because our dear Elphie is probably going to need some more saving in this sequel ^_^.**

**Anyway, thank you all so much for your support - on all of my stories! - and please review, they make my day! **


	30. Chapter 30 Surprises

**AN: Ah... okay... this is kind of stupid. For some reason, lately many reviews have been labeled as being from a Guest reviewer, even though they're not - small defect on the site, I think... Only I'm really, really bad at figuring out who is reviewing if I don't have a name. Like, seriously, I suck. So to the Guest reviewer who is not really a guest reviewer but was my 300th reviewer, and whom I apologise to for not being able to figure out your name, since I probably should... virtual pie, and stuff? Both for being my 300th reviewer and to make up for the fact that I can't figure out who you are? :3**

**My knee has only gotten worse, by the way :(. Went to the orthopedist yesterday, she thinks I just have weak knees and the running was too much, so I have to start getting physiotherapy and doing exercises again. I'm not sure that's it - I've always had weak knees and they've hurt me before, but never like this... but, well, I guess I should try out if it works first. She's been prodding and twisting and poking my knee so badly yesterday, though, that now I can barely even put weight on it anymore -_-'. And since I have to strengthen my muscles, I didn't get crutches, either, so now I'm shuffling around like an old lady. Hurray for me.**

**Long AN again, sorry. And sorry for the knee rant. I'll stop now - here's the next chapter... I think it kinds of sucks, but I needed it to set up the next chapter, for which I already had an idea, and stuff... you'll see, I guess.**

* * *

**Chapter 30. Surprises**

'You're not going to cast a spell on me, are you?'

Glinda frowned at her green friend. 'And why not, Miss Elphie?'

Elphaba looked at her as if the answer to that should be clear – and really, it should be. 'Um… perhaps because I don't want to end up splattered all across the room in tiny bits?' she pointed out.

Glinda giggled. 'Alright. Point taken,' she assured the raven-haired witch. 'But no, actually, I wasn't planning on casting a spell on you. What kind of spell do you know that will make you walk normally again?' she asked pointedly, and Elphaba faltered. 'Um… None.'

'Exactly. No, my dear Elphie, we're going to do this the old-fashioned way.' The blonde pulled back the covers and ushered Elphaba to sit at the edge of the bed. 'Get up, you!'

Elphaba gingerly pushed herself up to her good leg, and Glinda nodded, satisfied. 'Here, you can balance yourself by holding on to the window sill… Like that. Now, Elphie, have you been doing those exercises the doc gave you?'

Elphaba rolled her eyes. 'Yes, Mommy.'

'And is that going well?'

'Fine,' the green girl said. 'The doctor examined me again the other day, and he even said that it's healing so well that I could carefully start putting some weight on that leg…'

'Elphie, that's amazing!'

'…but Fiyero won't let me,' Elphaba finished lamely.

Glinda stared at her.

'Seriously,' the green girl added. 'He doesn't leave my side for more than five minutes at once, and the moment he catches me out of bed, even to do my exercises, he goes all crazy.'

Glinda grinned at her. 'I know of a way to fix that.' She walked over to the door and locked it from the inside. 'There. Done. Elphie, from now on, I'm going to stop by every day to do your exercises with you. Resting is important, but exercise is, too, or the doctor wouldn't have recommended it. Now, why don't you show me some exercises first, and then we can try to put some weight on it, okay? Where is Fifi, anyway?'

'Getting you some tea,' replied Elphaba, gingerly stretching and bending her leg, grimacing as a stab of pain shot up it.

'Careful,' Glinda ushered her. She walked over to the door and peered through the keyhole. 'I heard something. Oh, look, there's Fifi.'

The doorknob turned, but since the door was locked, it didn't open. 'Glin?' Fiyero called from the other side. 'What's going on? Is everything okay in there?'

'Fine!' Glinda called back cheerfully. 'I just locked you out!'

He sounded stunned. '_Why_?'

'Because you're smothering my poor Elphie!' Glinda yelled back. Elphaba stifled a laugh and Fiyero pounded on the door. 'Glinda, let me in!'

'Not until we finish her exercises!'

'Is she standing?' Now he sounded completely panicked. 'Glinda, don't do this! She can't stand on her leg, what if she damages it and-'

'Fifi,' the blonde said, still peering through the keyhole. 'If it would damage her leg further, the doc wouldn't have recommended it, now would he?' She turned around to look at Elphaba. 'I can't believe you haven't gone insane yet with him here.'

'Me, neither,' said Elphaba drily, and Fiyero pounded on the door again. 'I'm serious, Glinda! Let me in! Or at least let her go back to bed!'

Glinda giggled. It was just _so _much fun to mess with an overprotective Fiyero. 'Oh, my, Elphie, what are you doing on the floor?' she called out hard enough for him to hear. 'Did you _fall_?'

Elphaba, who was still standing perfectly upright, quirked an amused eyebrow at her friend, but Fiyero pretty much lost it. 'Glinda!' he shouted. 'You didn't let her _fall_, did you?!'

'Elphie, is that a _bone _sticking out of your leg?'

Now he was pounding so hard that the girls were afraid the door would budge.

'You're mean, Glin,' Elphaba said with a grin, shaking her head. 'Yero, she's just teasing you. I'm fine.'

The pounding stopped. 'Really?'

'Hey, Elphie, is that _blood_?'

They could _hear _Fiyero sucking in his breath and Elphaba snorted a laugh. 'Oh, come on, Glin, now you're really just being mean.'

'Alright, alright.' Still grinning, Glinda made her way over to the door again, peeking through the keyhole. 'She's fine, Fiyero, but I'm serious. I'm going to do her exercises with her, whether you like it or not. It's cute that you're overprotective, but this is just ridiculous. Just get down and have some coffee, or something. I'll find you when I'm done.'

He grumbled some more, but finally caved and left. Glinda spent the next hour helping Elphaba with her exercises, before deciding to try to get her to walk – sort of, anyway.

'Alright, Elphie, now lean on me,' she instructed, wrapping Elphaba's arm around her shoulders. 'Like that. I've got you. Now, try to put some weight on your right leg – _carefully_.'

It hurt like hell, but Elphaba gritted her teeth and pushed on. After ten minutes or so, Glinda lowered her friend onto the bed again, satisfied.

'Now, if we do that every day, you'll improve soon, Elphie,' Glinda promised her optimistically. She held her breath, eyes shining. 'Don't tell Fiyero,' she whispered. 'Or, I mean, don't show him what you can do. We could surprise him!' She squealed. 'Like, in two weeks or so, you can walk again, and then when he sees that, he'll faint or something, and that would be _so _funny!'

'Glin,' Elphaba interrupted her gently. 'I don't think I'll be walking again in two weeks.'

Glinda stuck out her tongue. 'Well, maybe not, but just… don't show Fiyero.' She made googly eyes at her friend. 'Pretty please?'

Elphaba rolled her eyes, but complied, and Glinda squealed again. 'Amazifying! I'll be back tomorrow, Elphie!' With that, she unlocked the door and skipped out into the hallway and down the stairs.

When Fiyero, who was sitting in the kitchen, heard her, he immediately leapt to his feet. 'Glinda!'

'Oh, don't worry, Fifi!' the blonde sang, skipping to the front door. 'She only fell, like, five times, and there's not _that _much blood! See you tomorrow, bye!' With that, she left.

Fiyero knew she was probably joking, but he still flew up the stairs like his life depended on it, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Elphaba was lying in her bed, smirking at him. 'Oh, come on. You didn't _really _believe that, did you?'

He climbed onto the bed with her and drew her into his arms, kissing her hair. 'Not really,' he admitted. 'But I wanted to see it for myself.'

She sighed and nestled herself into his arms, letting her head drop against his chest. 'I love you.'

He smiled and softly kissed her lips. 'I love you, too, Fae.'

* * *

From that day on, Glinda stopped by every day to practice with Elphaba. The doctor gave her new exercises every once in a while, and Glinda helped her friend starting to walk again, slowly, but surely.

Fiyero was still overprotective, staying with her at all times – except for when Glinda came over and kicked him out of the room, locking the door behind him. He was so concerned about Elphaba all the time, apprehensive about both her physical and her emotional state, that he even started to neglect himself; and when Elphaba realised what she was doing, she confronted him.

'Yero, this has to stop,' she told him firmly one day.

He whirled around to face her. 'What?'

She gestured towards him. 'This. You. Look in a mirror, Yero. You look like a walking dead body.'

He gazed at his reflection in the floor-length mirror. It was true, he realised. He was pale, there were dark circles under his eyes, and he couldn't even remember the last time he had combed his hair.

'This isn't good for either of us,' Elphaba continued quietly. 'You're neglecting yourself, and I know you're feeling guilty-'

'That's because it's my fault this happened!' he snapped, running both his hands through his hair. 'If I hadn't fallen for Morrible's trap, I could have saved you instead of having to watch how she broke your leg and perhaps even disabled you for life!'

'And if I hadn't fallen for Nessa's trap, I could have saved _you _instead of having to watch Morrible slicing open your forehead,' she retorted pointedly. 'You _have _to stop this, Fiyero. None of it was your fault, and I can't bear to see you like this,' she added quietly. 'I know you're like this because of me, and I feel awful about it.'

That, in turn, made _him _feel awful again. 'I'm sorry,' he said softly, and she took his hand, squeezing it. 'You know what? Maybe we need to take a break.'

He immediately paled and she rolled her eyes. 'Not from our relationship, you idiot,' she scolded him, and he breathed a sigh of relief. 'Oh.'

'How about this,' she said, pushing herself up a little to sit up against the headboard. 'I'm going to stay with Glinda for a little while.'

He opened his mouth to protest, but it only took her one glance in his direction to shut him up. 'I'm going to stay with Glinda,' she repeated, 'and she will take care of me. You know that – she worries about as much as you do. She'll make me do my exercises, have my rest, eat my vegetables, everything. And meanwhile, _you_,' she poked his chest with her finger, 'are going to take some time for yourself.'

He looked crestfallen. 'What do you mean, time for myself?' he demanded. 'What am I supposed to do, then?'

'Take a bath, for once,' she replied, and he grimaced. 'Okay, point taken.'

She chuckled softly. 'I mean it, though, Yero,' she said, laying her hand flat against his cheek and looking into his eyes. 'Take some time off. Read, meet up with friends, take up your job again – I don't care. But I can see you worrying about me every day, and it's eating you inside. You need some time away from me to find yourself again.'

He looked like he wanted to protest, but she cut him off by kissing him. 'I love you.'

'I love you, too,' he murmured, not wanting to admit that she was right, but knowing that she was. The past weeks, months, even, had all been so hectic and crazy. Perhaps he really did need some time alone.

'If anything happens…' he began anxiously, and she interrupted him, nodding. 'Me or Glinda will let you know right away. I promise.'

He was still hesitant. 'But…'

She looked up at him, and he couldn't really come up with any other excuses anymore. 'Alright,' he agreed reluctantly.

* * *

Glinda, naturally, was completely thrillified with these new arrangements, and she gladly took her friend in again. She had secretly missed her best friend at home; after sharing a house for two years, it was still strange to be apart, even though she had been spending as much nights with Corrin as Elphaba had with Fiyero.

She was still sticking to her original plan of keeping Elphaba's progress hidden from Fiyero, and the truth was, she was progressing fast. Even the doctor was amazed.

Fiyero knew _that _she was making progress, but because of Glinda's precautions, he didn't know how much, exactly, which pleased the blonde to no end. About three months after they first started practicing – and a few days after Elphaba had moved in with Glinda again - Elphaba took her first steps by herself, and Glinda's squeals could be heard all around the neighbourhood.

Every day, Elphaba took some more steps, walked a little bit further and a little bit faster. Glinda was happy. She could almost literally _see _her friend getting back to normal, and she was already looking forward to showing Fiyero the surprise… even though Elphaba already had a plan for that, which did _not_, as she informed her blonde friend sternly, involve Glinda in any way.

The blonde pouted, but reluctantly agreed. 'You're right, it wouldn't be romantic if I were there. What are you thinking?' she asked, and the green girl whispered something in her ear.

Glinda squealed again. 'That's so amazifying!' she gushed.

She clasped her hands together. 'I should totally plan that out for you. Can I? Pretty please?'

Elphaba rolled her eyes fondly. 'Sure, Glin. But don't you think we should work out the real surprise first?' she asked pointedly. 'You know, getting me to walk again?'

'You're already walking, Elphie!' Glinda reminded her. 'Only a few more weeks and you'll be running marathons!'

The green girl snorted a laugh. 'Somehow I doubt that.'

However, once she started to walk again, she progressed even quicker than before. Within a few days of her first steps, she could walk around the ground floor of the house; a week later, she managed to slowly and carefully climb and descend the stairs, and yet another week later, Glinda took her for a walk all the way to the Emerald Palace in the middle of the City, where Corrin was staying since the demise of Morrible and the imprisonment of the Wizard.

When there was a knock on the door to the Throne Room and a slightly sarcastic voice calling, 'The limping green bean has entered the building!', Corrin looked up in surprise. When Elphaba and Glinda entered, he smiled broadly, rising to his feet. 'Elphaba!'

He looked ready to hug her, so she warned him, 'No hugs, unless you want to lose a limb.'

'I hugged you before!' he protested, but she looked at him pointedly. 'That was only because I saved your life. When you almost die, _then _you can hug me. And that's the only exception.'

He cleared his throat awkwardly, then sat back down again. She smirked at him as she lowered herself into a chair, slightly out of breath. 'That walk was longer than I had anticipated.'

Glinda beamed at her boyfriend. 'Isn't it amazifying? She's walking again!'

'So I can see,' Corrin chuckled. He smiled at Elphaba. 'Good for you. And you're not even limping that badly.'

'She's going to be walking normally again within a week,' Glinda told him firmly. 'And within another week, she's going to be dancing. And then running. And jumping. And-'

'Glinda!' Elphaba interrupted her, causing the blonde to fall silent. The raven-haired witch quirked an eyebrow at her friend. 'One step at a time, please?'

Glinda giggled. 'Oh, you're right, Elphie,' she gushed. 'I'm just so excited!'

'You know,' Corrin said thoughtfully. 'That thing about limping green beans entering the building… that actually sounds like a good new password.'

Elphaba laughed. 'I'd like that. It might even trick me into actually _saying _it before I enter,' she teased him, and he made a face at her. 'I'll be sure to use it, then.'

They stayed for a little while, just chatting. Corrin informed them that things were going smoothly; he had already begun to lift the Animal Bans, much to the dismay of his advisors, but the people – and the other government officials – seemed to buy it without much struggle. 'There's only one thing that still has to happen,' he said, looking at Glinda.

She quirked an eyebrow at him. 'And what is that?'

He grinned at her. 'The people are expecting you and me to get engaged soon.'

She frowned in disapproval. 'Corry, if that's a proposal, I'm going to have to say no. You're going to have to put a little more effort in it than this.'

That made him laugh. 'It's not a proposal,' he assured her, eyes twinkling. 'I have something planned out, don't worry.' He winked at her, making her blush. 'Meet me for dinner Friday night?'

She squealed. 'Of course!'

'And I think Friday night would be the perfect time for you to give Fiyero a heart attack, too,' Glinda told her green friend when they stepped outside again. Upon seeing Elphaba's face, she quickly corrected herself. 'I mean, to give him the surprise.' She squealed again. 'But I think it _will _give him a heart attack!'

Elphaba rolled her eyes, but agreed, and Glinda nodded confidently. 'Let's stop by at his place to tell him. You wait here,' she told her friend, pushing her behind a wall. 'Stay hidden. I'm going to tell him to be in the ballroom Friday night, okay? And I'll make sure to tell him to dress up.' She wrinkled her nose. 'I still can't believe he has an entire _ballroom _in his basement.'

Elphaba laughed. 'It's not that big,' she said. 'He barely ever uses it.'

'Well, he's going to use it now.' The blonde grinned. 'And I've already arranged for a string quartet to play, too!'

When Fiyero opened the door, Glinda was pleased to see that he looked much better than he had a few weeks ago. When he saw her, however, he paled. 'Is she-'

'Oh, relax, Fifi,' Glinda said, rolling her eyes. 'She's fine. I came to ask you something else.'

He raised an eyebrow, and she said mysteriously, 'I need you to go down to your ballroom – the one in the basement – this Friday night. And dress up or I'll murder you.'

He looked confused. 'What-'

'It's a surprise!' she sang out, before turning around and skipping away from the door. 'Bye, Fifi!'

She left him completely bewildered, and Elphaba laughed when the blonde approached her again. 'Glin…'

Glinda grinned at her. 'Come on, Elphie,' she said happily. 'Let's go and prepare your surprise.'

* * *

**Reviews won't heal my knee, but they'll improve my mood... O:)**


	31. Chapter 31 Take Me To Heaven

**AN: Nearing the ending! Only a short epilogue to go, and then this story will be over!**

**Yeah, I loved the part with Glinda being mean to Fiyero, too :P. And the ballroom in Fiyero's basement... well, it was just easier that way for the story, and I figured that of _course _Mr. We-live-in-the-other-castle would ahve a ballroom in his basement :P.**

**PocketSevens: Yes, I thought it was you! :) But there are more people out there calling me 'your Majesty' sometimes, and I was like, 'If I say PocketSevens, and it's someone else, that would be awk-ward...' So yes, kudos to you ^_^.**

**Artsoccer & Musicgal, your super long reviews totally made my day. Thank you so much!**

**And thank you all for your prayers, well wishes, and virtual pain killers ;). My physiotherapist did indeed give me exercises to strengthen the muscles - my knee ligaments are way too long, he could almost dislocate my knees just by moving my meniscus to the side O.O but it's already getting better after two days of exercises, so I'm happy again :).**

* * *

**Chapter 31. Take Me To Heaven**

When Fiyero arrived in the ballroom below his mansion that Friday night, the first thing he noticed were the candles. There were candles everywhere, and they were the only light in the room; illuminating it with a soft, golden light, tiny flames dancing and creating moving shadows on the walls and floor.

The second thing he noticed was the string quartet in a corner, and he furrowed his brow, confused. What in Oz was going on? Was Glinda going to dance with him? The mere idea almost made him laugh.

Or… His smile faded. Could Elphaba…?

No. Of course not. He knew she had been making progress, but she couldn't have gotten better _that _quickly – the doctor had said she would probably never even walk normally again, let alone dance.

So he decided to just wait and see what the blonde had planned out for him.

He had put on his suit, as Glinda had requested, and combed back his hair. Now, he leaned against a pillar, carefully keeping an eye at the door… which was why he jumped – and even almost screamed – when he heard something behind him and turned around to see a figure approaching him from behind.

The person chuckled and he put a hand over his pounding heart. 'How in Oz…'

'Window,' she replied simply, and he rolled his eyes. 'Of course.' Then he frowned. 'Wait a clock-tick…'

His eyes widened when he realised that not only was she walking – _walking!_ – towards him; she was doing so wearing high heels, and she barely even faltered.

'How…' he stammered. 'How did you…'

She smiled softly at him. 'Glinda helped me,' she said simply. 'We practiced together. She made me walk again – and naturally, she spent the past few days making me practice walking in high heels, too,' she added, rolling her eyes.

'But…' He was still completely dumbstruck. 'But the doctor said… I mean… You're _walking_, Elphaba! He said you would probably _never _walk normally again, let alone so soon!'

'Well… you know Glin and you know me,' she said with a faint smile. 'Both stubborn as hell and determined as ever. Plus, I found out yesterday that she has secretly been performing healing spells on me.'

Elphaba had been searching for one of her own books when she had found a book of Glinda's, opened at a page with a healing spell on it. She had confronted her friend, who had then admitted sheepishly that she had come across the spell a few weeks prior and had been casting it on Elphaba every night when the green girl was asleep, hoping that it would speed up her recovery.

Elphaba had been rather pissed. 'Glinda, what if you had pronounced the spell wrong?' she had demanded. 'I could have _lost _my leg because you didn't tell me about this!'

'I practiced,' Glinda promised her. 'I would never take that risk with you, Elphie!' It turned out that the blonde had actually been practicing the healing spell on herself; she had been making small cuts in her arm and chanted the spell, and when the cuts healed, she knew she was pronouncing it right. She then proceeded to cast it on her friend using the exact same pronunciations of the words.

Elphaba, quite honestly, had been impressed. Not only had her friend found a healing spell and had the common sense to practice it before casting it on her best friend, she had even drawn _blood_ in order to keep the risk to her friend to a minimum, which was something the old Glinda would never have done.

Fiyero slowly pulled her towards him, dipping his head to kiss her lips softly. He closed his eyes, relishing in the feel of having her in his arms again. She had been right – some time alone had been good for him, but he had still missed her terribly. 'Glinda was right,' he murmured as he brushed his lips across her cheek, then moved down to kiss her neck. 'This _is _a surprise.'

She smiled and tilted his head, so that he could look her in the eye. Her own chocolate eyes were shining in the soft candle light. 'This wasn't all.'

Suddenly, the string quartet started to play, and Elphaba held out her hand for him to take. 'Dance with me?'

He was stunned. 'Elphaba, I really don't think you should be-'

'Don't even finish that,' she cut him off sternly. 'I didn't spend all week practicing dancing around in heels for nothing. Get over here, Tiggular.'

He had to smile at that and he took her hand, allowing her to take him to the middle of the room. He cocked his head a little when he recognised the song that was played. 'This is a tango.'

She smiled coyly at him. 'Yes, well, it's the dance of passion and love, isn't it?' she teased, and he laughed. He vividly remembered their last tango – the one in which they had both been dancing with someone else, trying to make the other jealous. He couldn't believe they hadn't even been together back then.

He placed his hand on her waist and pulled her closer as they moved, leaning her down, pulling her up again, spinning her out and in. 'So,' he said casually as he dipped her. 'Does this tango end with us chunking plates at one another again?'

Her eyes twinkled mischievously. 'Only if you make me angry.'

He laughed and yanked her towards him, kissing her lips hungrily. Her eyes were shining when she pulled back. She started dancing around him, a whirlwind of red fabric and ebony hair, dazzling him, entrancing him with her movements. He noticed that she barely ever faltered; despite the fact that she had been injured not even all that long ago, she danced almost as well as she had before.

Just as he was thinking that, she took a misstep and stumbled, and he caught her in his arms.

She smiled up at him sheepishly. 'It hasn't _completely _healed,' she conceded, and he laughed and kissed her nose. 'I'm proud of you, Fae. And I love you.'

She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, melting into his embrace. 'I love you, Yero.'

'And you have no idea how happy I am that you're okay,' he told her softly. 'It was awful, seeing you like that.'

She raised her head to look at him, uncertainty sparking in her eyes, and he immediately knew what she was thinking. '_No_, Fae. Not like that. I didn't hate seeing you disabled. I didn't even _think _of you as a disabled person. I never have and I never will. Because you are – were – not that. You were still you, you were just hurt.' He rested his chin on the top of her head. 'I just hated seeing you looking at _yourself _as a disabled person.'

She didn't say anything, because he was right. She had only seen it as more evidence of her being cursed; she had loathed herself for being dependent, and later on, she had hated herself even more for, as Glinda had so eloquently put it, wallowing in self-pity. It hadn't been like her at all, and she felt ridiculous for being so dramatic at first.

But she had seen how horrendible it was to depend on everyone for everything – she could know, she had taken care of Nessarose her entire life. She had seen what it was like, and she had dreaded that she would end up like her sister in the end, bitter about the fact that she couldn't walk, and only chasing away all the persons that cared about her out of self-hatred.

Glinda had been wonderful with that; she had taken care of Elphaba in the physical sense, but they had also had long talks about the green girl's insecurities when it came to her injury and to Fiyero, and Glinda had made her see that she was being ridiculous. The blonde, and Fiyero, too, had been right: her injury didn't change anything about who she was, and Fiyero wouldn't stop loving her because of it. She knew that now, and she was happy. She knew that even if Glinda's spells and exercises hadn't worked, and she would have to use a cane or crutch for the rest of her life, she would have survived. Because she had Fiyero, and she had Glinda, and she always would have them.

'Yero, my hero,' she murmured, and she felt him drawing her even closer. The string quartet had changed the tango to a slow song, allowing her to stay in Fiyero's arms as they swayed together.

His heart soared as he looked down at her. He loved her, everything about her; he loved the way her hair cascaded down her back in soft curls, the gentle pressure of her cheek against his chest, the feeling of her arms around his waist, the sparkle in her dark brown eyes, the way her dress clung to her figure. He smiled to himself when he realised she was wearing the same dark red dress she had worn to the Wizard's ball that day, when they had ended up in the dungeons together. They really had been behaving like children, screaming obscurities and throwing plates.

He chuckled softly, the sound vibrating in his chest. Elphaba looked up at him again. 'What?'

'Nothing.' He smiled. 'I was just remembering the last time we danced and you were wearing that dress.'

She chuckled, too. 'I was just thinking about that as well,' she confessed. 'So much has changed since then.'

'You let me in,' he whispered, and she paused, actually surprised at the realisation. She hadn't even really realised it had happened until it had been too late, and she had to admit that by now, he had gotten too far in for her to push him out again – and again, without her realising it was happening until she couldn't do anything about it anymore.

Not that she wanted to push him out again. Not at all.

'I did, didn't I?' she said, sounding as surprised as she felt, and he smiled and kissed her softly. 'You did. And I'm so grateful for that.'

'It wasn't voluntarily,' she admitted to him. 'I didn't really have a choice, now did I?'

He swept her into his arms, twirling her around and pulling her back against him. She crashed against his chest, letting her hands linger there as she looked up at him.

'And why is that?' he asked her, and she shrugged. 'I loved you,' she replied simply. 'You… you made me lose all resistance. I couldn't deny it, I couldn't lie about it. Not to you.'

She could see the love in his sapphire blue eyes, and she jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. 'Come on,' she said to him. 'Let's go upstairs.'

He kissed her again, then carried her out of the ballroom, up the stairs, and into his bedroom.

And there, for the first time, they engaged in a whole other type of dance of love and passion together.

* * *

'Ladies and gentlemen, fellow Ozians,' Glinda announced with a beaming smile and a toss of her blonde hair. 'Allow me to present to you our Captain of the Guard, Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus, and his fiancée, Miss Elphaba Thropp!'

The people down on the square cheered as Fiyero and Elphaba appeared on the balcony, the former smiling and waving as always, the latter trying her hardest to hide her nervousness. Fiyero squeezed her hand comfortingly. 'Don't be nervous,' he whispered.

'What tipped you off?' she asked through clenched teeth, and he chuckled. 'I know you. And the fact that you're crushing the bones in my hand kind of gave you away, too.'

She blushed a little and tried to pull away. 'I'm sorry-'

He squeezed her hand, keeping their fingers firmly entwined. 'It's fine, Fae,' he assured her. 'They'll love you.'

She snorted. 'Of course they will.'

One of the Ozians asked tentatively, 'So… you two are the Wicked Witches of the North and West?'

Glinda giggled and waved her hand in the air dismissively. 'Oh, we're not that bad!'

Fiyero rolled his eyes and stepped forward. 'They're not wicked,' he assured the Ozians. 'I know Glinda has told you all of this already, but they're really not – I vow for that.' He pulled Elphaba closer, wrapping his arm around her waist, and she almost instinctively let her head drop against his shoulder. 'They're amazing,' Fiyero added softly, and she leaned up to kiss him softly.

'So what's going to happen now?' a man asked, and Glinda beamed at him. 'Well, since Corry asked me to marry him and Fiyero asked Elphaba, we're going to have a giant double-wedding! I'm already planning it, it will be a spring wedding and-'

'Glinda,' Elphaba cut her off drily. 'I think he meant what's going to happen to the _country_.'

The blonde faltered. 'Oh. Right.'

But, Fiyero noticed, this was exactly what the Ozians needed to be convinced. They were still wary of the two witches – they had been ever since Glinda had cheerfully announced that it was the former Wicked Witch of the North and the Leader of the Resistance leading them – but seeing them like this, the playful banter between two best friends, helped the people to see the women for what they really are. It made them realise that the so-called Wicked Witches were only human, just like the people themselves.

As Glinda and Corrin explained their plans to the people, Fiyero took the opportunity to study his fiancée.

He still couldn't help but grin at that. His _fiancée_. A few weeks ago, he had finally mustered all of his courage and asked Elphaba to marry him; and though she had declared him a brainless idiot, and warned him that he shouldn't expect her to go and play the cute little housewife, because she would _never _do that, she had said yes, thus making him the happiest man in the world.

As if she was reading his mind, she looked to the side, meeting his gaze, and she smiled at him. He returned her smile and nuzzled her cheek. 'You're my fiancée,' he whispered to her, incredulous. 'We're going to be _married_.'

She chuckled and leaned into him. 'We are.'

'I love you.' He kissed her. Faintly, he heard some of the Ozians cheering for them when they saw the couple together like that, and he grinned inwardly. Everything would be just fine. Sure, they were a little suspicious, but he could tell that they already loved Elphaba and Glinda, and Corrin, too. They were especially fond of Glinda – but how could they not be? She was the perfect blonde princess, ditzy and naïve, but also bubbly and bouncy and just altogether loveable. She would make a great Queen of Oz, and Corrin would be a perfect King.

'So Glin and Corrin will be ruling Oz after their wedding,' Elphaba mumbled to Fiyero, 'but what is going to happen to _us_?'

He smiled at her, his eyes shining. 'We are going to rule the Vinkus after our wedding,' he told her.

She chuckled. 'I still can't believe your parents liked me so much.'

'What's there not to like?' He leaned down to kiss her again, and she happily complied. When she pulled away, however, she frowned slightly.

'What's wrong?' he asked her, and she sighed. 'I just hope that we're not going to be a boring old married couple,' she confessed. 'I'm not made for that. I don't know if I can sit still for that long, living in one place and just performing royal duties…'

His eyes were twinkling with mischief. 'Who said you're just going to perform royal duties?'

She looked at him.

He gestured towards himself. 'Look at me – I'm a prince, and I got to do a job. You can get a job, too, if you want to. It's not like I want you to sit on a throne and meet people all day.' He grinned at her. 'And believe it or not, but I've heard things here in the City and I think I have got the perfect job for you.'

She quirked an eyebrow at him. He whispered something in her ear, and she looked at him for a moment, baffled; then she started laughing. 'For real?'

He nodded, and she smiled. 'I'd love that,' she said honestly. 'Believe it or not, but I've really missed working for the Resistance these past few months. Even though there were dangerous and altogether unpleasant parts of that, I still did like my job.'

'Well, this is quite similar,' he told her, drawing her into his arms. 'With one big difference.'

She looked up at him and he smiled.

'_This _job will not require you seducing other men.'

She chuckled and locked her arms around his neck, looking up into his eyes, smiling.

'I think I can live with that.'


	32. Chapter 32 The Rest Of My Life

**AN: So... the final chapter/epilogue thingy. Yes. I think the ending kind of sucks, but I really couldn't come up with anything better... sorry for that.**

**Musicgal, you just secured your 'aww'-record once again :P.**

**I was just playing chess with my Dad. We haven't played it in forever, and he has played it much longer than me, but I totally beat him the first game (he thought he won at first, he was totally happy, and then I pointed out to him that he had used _my _bishop to wipe down my king, which isn't really allowed :P). He won the second one, but still.**

**And I don't even know why I'm telling you this. I'm rambling, aren't I? It's my birthday tomorrow. I have three more hours left of being a teenager. Then I'll be two decades old. One-fifth century. Twenty years. Sweet Oz, I might as well move to a nursing home right away.**

**Anyway, thank you all so much for staying with me and reading this, reviewing, adding it to your favourites or following it. It's all so much appreciated, I love you guys! (You should know by now that I never mean that in a creepy way.)**

* * *

**Chapter 32. The Rest Of My Life**

'Let me go!' the man yelled. 'Let me go, you witches!'

Elphaba rolled her eyes. 'Did he just call us witches?' she asked Glinda sarcastically. 'How _original_.'

'You filthy whores!'

Within a clock-tick, Elphaba was on top of him, her knife pressed against his throat.

'Don't,' she hissed, '_ever _call me a whore. Or my best friend, for that matter. _Especially _not when you're the one paying women to share your bed when you have a _wife _at home.'

'I'm not cheating!' he yelled. 'I'm really not! Why are you even doing this to me? What _are _you?'

'What we are…' Glinda tapped her cheek thoughtfully. 'We're witches,' she said. 'Best friends. Former Resistance members. I am your _Queen_. What we are right now… I guess you could call us… private detectives. Or… spies. Some kind of secret agents… I don't know, really – we don't really have a name, but I can tell you this much: your wife sent us because she feared you were cheating on her and she wanted to know if that was true.'

'Which, clearly, it was,' Elphaba added rather unnecessarily, and the man glared at her.

She moved off him, casually polishing her knife with the fabric of her tunic. Secretly, she was enjoying this _way _too much.

When Fiyero had told her he had the perfect job for her, he hadn't been joking. Corrin had seen to the foundation of a secret agency in the Emerald City that housed, among others, detectives and spies. The idea was that people who wanted, for example, to find a lost family member, or people who – like the woman that had given Elphaba and Glinda their current assignment – wanted to find out if their husband really was cheating on them, could hire these spies and detectives to work for them. Usually, their job meant tracking people down, occasionally punishing them a little – like their current employer had requested – and sometimes snooping around. They had been shadowing this particular man for two weeks before finally confronting him, and the evidence against him was overwhelming, really. There was no doubt in Elphaba's mind that once she and Glinda reported back to his wife, she would not much longer be his wife.

Well, that would be for the best, she decided as she looked down at the man, who was still on the floor.

Elphaba and Glinda had both immediately accepted once Corrin offered them the job, especially since it was rather similar to the one they had had at the Resistance – minus the men seduction and the danger, that is, which they were both quite happy about, and so were their fiancé and husband, respectively.

Glinda and Corrin had gotten married a few months ago, and it had been a grand feast throughout all of Oz. The people had quickly warmed up to the former Wicked Witches and now, about six months after Morrible and the Wizard had been defeated, they were barely even wary of Glinda and Elphaba anymore – though Elphaba still got the occasional strange look because of her skin colour.

'Your wife,' Glinda told her victim, placing her foot on top of his stomach and burying her stiletto heel in his skin, causing him to cry out, 'asked us to punish you.'

'She was afraid we would find out what we did, and she told us that if it was true and you really were cheating on her, she wanted you to sign this,' Elphaba informed him, dangling a piece of paper above his nose. 'It states that you agree to divorce her…'

'Sure, I'll sign it!' he cried.

'…and you'll leave everything you own to her.'

His eyes nearly bulged out of his head. 'What? No! Never! I'd be homeless!'

'I'm sure your wife is nice enough to send you away with some clothes and a little money,' Glinda told him. 'Not enough to pay for another prostitute, though.'

Elphaba looked down at him. 'So, will you sign it?'

'No!'

Glinda dug her heel in deeper. 'Sign it.'

He pressed his lips together and shook his head wildly.

The blonde girl sighed, stepping away from him and looking at her friend expectantly. 'Elphie?'

Elphaba chanted softly under her breath and a bright green beam of light shot from her hand, capturing the man inside and lifting him off the ground. He screamed and yelped and cried out in fear, but both girls were actually enjoying themselves.

'You deserve this,' Glinda told him sternly. 'Women are not to be messed with, buddy.'

Elphaba sent him up higher. 'Sign the paper.'

'No!' he cried.

Glinda took off her shoe and hurled it in his direction. It hit him square in the side, making him cringe. 'Sign it!' she screeched.

Elphaba chuckled and shook her head. 'Getting a bit caught up, Glin?'

Glinda flushed. '_No_,' she said defensively. 'I just don't want you to be late for your wedding!'

Elphaba's eyes widened. 'Oh Oz, the wedding!'

'You forgot about your own wedding?!' Glinda shrieked, and the dark-haired witch cringed slightly. 'I didn't… _forget_, per se…' she spluttered weakly. 'It's more like… um…'

'Elphaba Thropp, _you_ _forgot your own wedding!_'

Elphaba sighed, then gave in. 'Yeah, I did,' she admitted. 'But come _on_, Glin – I know it's supposed to be the best day of my life, but honestly, I couldn't care less about the beautiful dress or the cake or the party or what the bridesmaids are wearing. I wish we'd just eloped when we got the chance,' she complained, and Glinda narrowed her eyes at her friend dangerously. 'Elphie, this is _serious_. You can't have a wedding without bridesmaids and cake and a beautiful dress and a party, and decorations and music and dancing and food and champagne and-'

'Glinda,' Elphaba interrupted her drily. 'Relax. It's just a wedding.'

The blonde looked ready to faint. '_Just a wedding_?!'

Elphaba shrugged, truly not caring all that much. 'I don't need all that, Glin,' she told her friend. 'As long as Fiyero is there, my wedding is perfect. I still kind of regret that I allowed you to plan the whole thing,' she muttered under her breath.

Glinda was ready to retort, but a third voice cut her off. '_Hello_? Get me down?'

Both witches looked up to find their victim still hanging in the air, trapped in Elphaba's magic beam of light. Glinda giggled.

'That depends,' Elphaba said drily. 'Are you ready to sign the paper?'

Glinda took off her other shoe and hurled that one in his direction as well. 'Just sign the Oz-damned paper!' she screeched at him. 'If we're late for Elphie's wedding, I'm going to cut off your manly parts!'

Elphaba snorted a laugh. The man still looked reluctant.

'I could continue doing this all day, buddy,' the green girl told him. 'My wedding guests will wait. I made your wife a promise and I'm going to stick to it.'

Finally, after one more threatening glance from Glinda, he relented. Elphaba lowered him onto the floor and Glinda pounced on him.

'Elphie, you get to your wedding!' the blonde urged her friend, straddling the man and pushing the contract into his face. 'I'll be there soon, but you need to get ready!'

Elphaba rolled her eyes, but obliged. She jumped onto her broom and flew off.

* * *

Fiyero was pacing up and down. 'Where _is _she?' he demanded.

'They'll be here soon,' Corrin said consolingly, but the prince didn't seem convinced.

Just then, however, there was a crashing sound coming from a room nearby. The men exchanged a glance and then hurried out of the big hall in the Palace where they had been waiting.

Before they could get very far, a green-and-black whirlwind rushed past them, carrying a broom. 'Sorry I'm late!'

'Fae?' Fiyero called, and she turned around and came back to peck his cheek. 'Hi, Yero. Just give me a clock-tick.'

Before she could leave again, he caught her hand. 'What was all the noise?' he asked, taking in her dishevelled appearance, and she made a face. 'I, um… Bad landing,' she admitted. 'I was in a hurry.'

Fiyero scowled at her and she cut him off before he could even say anything. 'Yes, Fiyero, I know. The bone in my leg is still fragile, I should be careful, I _know_. I _am _careful. It's fine.' She kissed him again and made to dash off.

'I'll see you outside!' Fiyero called after her, and she stopped again, frowning. 'Outside?'

He grinned at her. 'You'll see.'

She thought about that as she ran to the room where she was supposed to get dressed. Glinda had planned everything, insisting on keeping it a secret from Elphaba; but she had constantly told her friend about the huge party she had organised, with hundreds of people and many pink decorations, and she had already started dreading it.

When she saw the dress Glinda had picked for her, she only grew more confused. It was nowhere near the extravagant, shimmery gown she had imagined her friend to pick. Instead, it was a soft ivory colour, with multiple spaghetti straps that crossed on the back, a fitting bodice, and a skirt that gently flowed from her hips down to the floor. It was a beautiful, yet simple dress, without the beads or lace or sequins she had expected it to have. There was a veil that trailed a few meters behind her. All in all, she had to admit when she looked into the mirror and saw her reflection, it was just… perfect.

Glinda came storming in, wearing a pale orange bridesmaids dress. She squealed when she saw her friend. 'Oh my Oz, Elphie, you look amazing! What do you think?'

The dark-haired witch studied her mirror image again before nodding slowly. She smiled at Glinda. 'You know what? I think you're right.'

Glinda squealed again and hugged the green girl.

'One question though,' said Elphaba as she pulled away. 'Where is the big feast with the enormous poofy dress and the shiny decorations?'

The blonde's eyes sparkled. 'Surprise!'

Elphaba tilted her head to the side a little in confusion.

'I could never do that to you, Elphie,' Glinda said. 'I know you, and I knew that you wouldn't like your wedding to be a huge affair. So, I kept it simple and intimate. Just you, me, Fiyero, Corrin, and the vicar – plus Fiyero's parents, of course. It's going to be a small ceremony in the gardens of the Emerald Palace – the private part of the gardens, obviously, not the public part where we would be disturbed by hundreds of Ozians wanting to see you getting married – and… Elphie, are you _crying_?'

Elphaba wrapped her arms around her friend in a hug. 'Thank you, Glin,' she said sincerely, quickly blinking away the tears. 'Thank you for doing that for me. I know how hard it must have been for you to not insert pink into the wedding, or cakes, or, well, everything, really, that you mentioned before,' she teased, and Glinda giggled. Then she sobered again. 'So… thank you. I love you.'

Glinda hugged her tightly. 'Love you too, Elphie. Now, here's your bouquet, okay? Let's go!'

'What?' Elphaba asked in genuine amazement. 'You're not going to do my hair or make-up?'

'Do you _want _me to do your hair and make-up?' Glinda asked pointedly, and Elphaba chuckled. 'Not really.'

'Then there's your answer.' The blonde pulled her with her. 'And your hair is already nice, Elphie. You learned well from me.'

'Yes, well, when you have to seduce men for your job, you have to learn to dress up a little,' the green girl grumbled. 'I didn't really have a choice, did I?'

Glinda giggled. 'And look how well that turned out – your hair looks nice enough and you're even wearing some mascara, which is great. You look perfect, Elphie, really. Fiyero is going to faint!'

'Oz, I hope not,' Elphaba muttered under her breath as Glinda dragged her through the hallways of the Palace.

'Okay, wait here,' Glinda told her when they stepped outside. 'Follow twenty clock-ticks behind me, okay?'

Elphaba nodded and her friend hugged her again. 'Oh my Oz, I'm so excited!'

Glinda started walking down the aisle. Elphaba obediently waited a few moments before rounding the corner.

She caught a faint glimpse of Glinda and Corrin standing on either side of the vicar, being the maid of honour and best man; and of Fiyero's parents, whom she had first met a few weeks before and who were standing a little bit to the side.

But then she saw Fiyero, and the rest of the world faded away.

Her eyes found his and stayed there as she slowly walked down the aisle, towards him. He looked incredibly handsome in his tuxedo, and she couldn't help the tears that sprang to her eyes when she saw the look in his eyes. She knew then that what she had told Glinda was true – as long as Fiyero was there, her wedding was perfect. Whether she got married in a back alley of the City or amidst hundreds of people and tsunamis of pink… or like this.

Fiyero held out his hand to her and she took it. She felt his fingers shaking a little, but his grasp was firm and he squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Most of the vicar's words were a blur, right up until the point where they got to say 'I do'. Just for a heartbeat, visions flashed through her head - of Fiyero being unable to say it, running off and leaving her to stand at the altar like this – but then he said 'I do', and those were the most amazing words she had ever heard him say.

'I now pronounce you husband and wife…' the vicar began, but before he could finish, Elphaba surprised everyone present – including herself – by quite literally jumping onto Fiyero, knocking him over. They ended up on the floor in a heap of white fabric and black hair, her long veil almost trapping them underneath it, but neither of them cared. She kissed him, and he pulled her closer and kissed her back.

'…you may kiss the bride,' the vicar finished lamely, and Glinda giggled even despite the tears streaming down her face. 'You guys are so cute!'

Elphaba looked down at her husband. She kissed him again, then rested her forehead against his and looked into his beautiful sapphire blue eyes. 'I love you, Yero.'

He smiled and kissed her again in reply. 'I love you too, Fae,' he whispered.

She studied the look in his eyes, that soft, loving look he saved just for her, and she felt like her heart might burst with joy.

Whatever happened after today, she knew it wasn't all going to be perfect. There would be tears, there would be fights, there would be anger and sadness and grief; but she now knew that they could handle all that. Because she loved him and he loved her, and together, they could take on the entire world.

Today was the start of the rest of her life, and there was nowhere in the world she'd rather be than right here in the arms of her husband.


End file.
